


That Butler, Satisfying

by Mermaid886



Category: Black Butler, Kuroshitsuji, Kuroshitsuji (2014), Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Adult Ciel Phantomhive, Alpha Sebastian, Caring Sebastian, Ciel Phantomhive is Annoyed, Ciel Phantomhive is a Brat, Ciel loves Sebastian, Ciel wants a baby, Drama, F/M, Fem! Ciel, Female Ciel Phantomhive, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Human Sebastian Michaelis, Love, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Possessive Sebastian, Pregnancy, Romance, Sebastian In Love, Sebastian wants a mate, Sebastianxciel - Freeform, Secret Marriage, Sexy Sebastian, hidden pregnancy, sebastian loves ciel, sebastian wants ciel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:00:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 37,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22519618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mermaid886/pseuds/Mermaid886
Summary: Sebastian discovers a secret that Ciel has kept hidden even from him.....While Sebastian contemplates a way to lure Ciel into his bed, she unwittingly shows him the true desires of her omega heart. Sebastian sees a wonderful opportunity to be the alpha that Ciel so desperately craves. What kind of butler would Sebastian be if he couldn’t satisfy his master’s deepest needs?
Relationships: Sebastian Michaelis & Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis/Ciel Phantomhive
Comments: 26
Kudos: 186





	1. Chapter 1

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

Sebastian Michaelis did what he wanted because it pleased him.

It pleased Sebastian to amuse himself traveling around, wooing women, making friends…….

…..And enemies.

Sebastian Michaelis came to London because he was bored and he heard that the city was bustling.

Sebastian Michaelis stumbled upon a very grim scene and a child in a cage called out to him, begging for rescue.

The child was dirty and battered, with short hair and dressed in a loose nightshirt that cloaked its slender frame very well.

Perhaps it was simply because it amused Sebastian to do so, or perhaps it was the desperation in the child’s eyes, but…….

Sebastian Michaelis complied.

Sebastian Michaelis pulled the child from the cage.

Bluenette hair, starving to the point of emaciation, shivering and pale, it was only when the child stood that Sebastian realized the child was not a child after all………

“Ah, so you’re not quite as juvenile as I thought.” Sebastian chuckled in amusement.

“I’m nearly twenty.” The bluenette replied with a frown.

Sebastian’s eyes widened.

It seemed that the bluenette wasn’t male either……..

—————————————————————

Through a series of terms and agreements, Sebastian found himself enslaved, no, employed, by the female he had rescued.

Ciel, as she was known to the rest of the world.

To Sebastian, she was simply young master~.

And a strange master at that!

The bluenette refused to wear women's clothing.

The little thing ran her household with an iron fist.

Sebastian helped Ciel with the reconstruction of her destroyed estate and he stayed by her side while she made the history books of taking the title of Earl in her deceased twin brother’s place.

Sebastian was the one who helped Ciel track down all those responsible for the attempted annihilation of the Phantomhive family name.

But then what?

Sebastian had refused a salary for his service, and although he had never named a price to Ciel, he had let her know that his help would not be free of charge forever.

Everyone and everything had a price.

Sebastian Michaelis was just a man.

Although, to Ciel, Sebastian was somewhat of a hero, he was her butler, her manager, her groomer, her cook, her baker, her friend.

Friend?

Perhaps, but there was something that Ciel never acknowledged about Sebastian although she knew it quite well…….

Sebastian Michaelis was an alpha.

Ciel had to do what she could to protect herself.

From Ciel’s stoic demeanor and her icy approach to the world, Sebastian assumed for a long time that Ciel was a female alpha.

…….Which always pained Sebastian.

Ciel, a female alpha.

That was really too bad.

What a shame….

Although, it would certainly make sense with Ciel’s personality…….and the fact that she never went through any heats.

But Sebastian’s presumption was wrong.

One afternoon, Sebastian came to bring some tea to Ciel in her study and he found the bluenette asleep at her desk.

With a chuckle, Sebastian sat the beverage down in front of his master and turned to go.

Before Srbastian took a step, a large book that Ciel had been holding slipped from her limp hands and fell to the floor.

Sebastian turned and blinked at the noise.

Curiously, he walked over and picked up the book.

It was a catalogue.

As the twentieth century approached, mail order catalogues were growing in popularity and Ciel herself was quite fond of flipping through them.

Baldroy normally handled all of the supply orders for the house.

Sebastian didn’t usually unpack the shipments that came to the Phantomhive manor…….

Curiously, Sebastian glanced at the page that Ciel had been looking over.

Sebastian’s eyes widened at an advertisement for a product that Ciel had circled with emphasis:

Certified Civilized Suppressants  
-Pills guaranteed to suppress the natural ebb and flow of omega hormones  
-No more planning needed for events and trips  
-Be in control of your body and surroundings  
-Available in half-yearly or yearly quantities

Sebastian glanced over at Ciel, shocked.

Was……...was it true?!?

Was Ciel really…an omega?!?

Silently, Sebastian left Ciel’s study and went straight to her room, discreetly ransacking the armoire, the dresser, and finally, the vanity.

Sebastian’s breath caught in his throat as he pulled out the vanity’s bottom drawer and found a small metal case.

Sebastian’s gloved fingers trembled as he flipped the case open.

Little white pills.

Sebastian let out a breath as he snapped the case shut and closed the vanity drawer.

Sebastian thought that Ciel had no secrets from him……..

Why?

Why had she never told him?

Was she afraid that he would hurt her?

Sebastian smirked.

No.

That wasn’t it.

Over the years, Sebastian and Ciel had shared many quiet moments packed with an uncomfortable amount of tension, many lingering, longing stares.

Ciel was afraid of what she would do…...

Sebastian stood up and smoothed his hair back, collecting himself as he went to prepare dinner.

That very afternoon, Sebastian decided on the price for his services, the fee he would charge Ciel.

Sebastian had been Ciel’s butler for a long time, but now Sebastian wanted to be Ciel’s alpha.

No, Sebastian would be Ciel’s alpha.

But how?

—————————————————————

Sebastian contemplated that question for weeks.

He said nothing to Ciel about the pills or the catalogue.

Ciel’s discovered secret went unspoken between them.

However, since Sebastian’s discovery, he began to pick up on tiny details that he had always brushed aside.

Sometimes Ciel would just stare at him with a look between a frown and a pout.

Sebastian used to think she was just annoyed, but finally he realized that she was frustrated.

Frustrated in the best of ways~.

There were moments when Sebastian bathed Ciel or when he dressed her or when he picked her up in his arms that they were far too close and sometimes, Sebastian thought that Ciel may actually lean in and kiss him.

He certainly wished that she would……

But for someone who overindulged on sweets, Ciel was remarkably self-denying when it came to matters of love.

Sebastian finally understood why Ciel had such a sour attitude whenever they attended weddings or engagement parties of others in the aristocratic class.

Ciel was jealous.

Ciel wanted a mate.

Perhaps those “certified civilized suppressors” only suppressed so much…….

Sebastian spent time calculating, carefully planning his move.

If he approached Ciel the wrong way, she may reject him forever.

Sebastian needed to figure out how to override those pills, to make Ciel an offer she couldn’t refuse, but what would be best?

During the time that Sebastian was pondering what to do, a very odd thing happened.

One morning, Finny came running into the house while Ciel was having breakfast with a basket in his arms.

“Master Ciel! Mister Sebastian! I need your help! I don’t know what to do! I found this at the gate just a little while ago!” Finny cried.

Ciel blinked as Sebastian stepped forward. “What is it, Finnian? Is that-“

Sebastian moved the cloth in the basket aside and his eyes widened when he saw a small baby laying inside.

“An…infant?” Sebastian gasped.

Ciel looked at the baby curiously over Sebastian’s shoulder.

“I don’t know what to do!” Finny cried.

“Was there a note?” Sebastian asked.

“No!” Finny replied.

“Did you see anyone nearby?” Sebastian asked.

“No, sir! I promise!” Finny said vehemently.

Sebastian and Finny were so wrapped up in their conversation that neither of them paid attention to Ciel as she silently got out of her chair…...

“Well, I suppose the best thing to do is to try to find the child’s parents. Perhaps the baby has been abducted. Young master, if you can-“ Sebastian stopped speaking when he turned around and saw Ciel holding the small baby.

Now Sebastian was really surprised.

“Young……..master?” Sebastian asked quietly.

Then, for a moment, Sebastian fell silent and watched, observing closely.

Ciel was looking down at the little baby in her arms with wonder.

The bluenette held the infant on instinct, cradling the baby carefully, tightly but not too tightly.

Sebastian had never seen Ciel’s eyes look so soft……….

“Yes, Sebastian. That sounds like a good idea.” Ciel said absent-mindedly.

“Very well.” Sebastian said slowly, furrowing his brow.

Ciel seemed to completely forget that Sebastian and Finnian were there.

Sebastian silently logged the scene in his mind…..

Ciel needed help to do everything short of use the toilet.

Ciel did not normally care for others, but she held that baby like she had been doing so all of her life.

How very odd.

—————————————————————

The following morning, Sebastian rose early to care for the child, a baby boy.

By the time Sebastian made it to the child’s room, he was again surprised to find that Ciel was already tending the baby.

The next day, the same thing happened.

And the day after that……..

Ciel’s voice was softer.

Her scowl disappeared.

Sebastian noticed that Ciel became inseparable from the baby.

Ciel moved the baby into her room.

Sebastian assumed no extra duties, Ciel cared for the child herself.

Unfortunately, a week later, a knock came on the Phantomhive door.

Sebastian had gotten in contact with the right person and the child’s parents had arrived.

The baby boy was placed happily in his mother’s and father’s arms.

The couple had been in a carriage accident and the baby’s basket had been thrown from the vehicle.

The basket had gracefully landed directly at the Phantomhive gate.

The couple expressed their gratitude, praising Ciel and Sebastian as heroes.

Ciel smiled and nodded at the couple, wishing them well.

The couple left with their baby and Sebastian closed the door.

That was when things went downhill…..

Ciel was so irritable that no one could get near her.

Ciel was so abusive for the rest of the day that Sebastian left Ciel’s afternoon tea outside her study door.

Sebastian had never seen Ciel in such a foul mood.

Shut up in her room, Sebastian heard Ciel stomp around and slam her drawers shut, refusing his help for the night.

Sebastian smirked to himself.

Even with pills, even with scowls, Ciel was an omega.

Ciel was jealous~.

Ciel was angry that the baby’s parents had come.

Ciel was angry that the baby was gone.

But Sebastian could fix that, in a way……

After Ciel had finally exhausted herself with her tantrum and fallen asleep, Sebastian stealthily crept into her room.

Under the cover of night, while Ciel lay snoozing in her bed, Sebastian silently opened Ciel’s vanity drawer and removed the pills from their small case.

Pocketing the medication and walking down the hall towards his own room, Sebastian smirked to himself.

What kind of butler would he be if he couldn’t grant his master’s wish~?


	2. Chapter 2 - Trap

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
————————————————————

A fortnight later, Ciel frowned while she tried to complete her work, late in the afternoon.

The bluenette rubbed her temple as an unpleasantly sharp sensation suddenly seized her skull.

It started out as an intermittent pain, but within a few minutes, it progressed into a constant, weighing headache.

Once Ciel was finished with her work, she found herself scowling in pain.

Ciel glanced at the calendar.

Ah, that was the problem.

It was that time.

The bluenette quickly stood up from her desk and shakily walked down the hallway.

The pain in Ciel’s head began to make her dizzy.

Her heat was starting…,,,,

Ciel could feel the surge of hormones beginning to course through her body, leaving her foggy and nauseous.

Ciel stumbled into her bedroom and staggered over to her vanity, ripping open the drawer that held the silver case.

Ready to be released from her oncoming agony, the bluenette flipped the silver pill case open.

Ciel’s eyes widened as a dry gasp was wrenched from her throat.

No! 

No! No! No! No!

How could this be?!?

The bluenette was meticulous about her supply of heat-suppressing pills.

Ciel had kept a careful stock for years…….

And yet somehow……

Ciel’s pill case was…….

Empty!

—————————————————————

Downstairs in the kitchen, Sebastian could already faintly detect Ciel’s hormones.

The Phantomhive butler smirked to himself.

“I hope you are as ready as I am, young master.” Sebastian purred while he finished his work.

Sebastian had spent the majority of the afternoon baking a towering, fudge-topped, brownie cake, with rich layers of chocolate mousse and heavy chocolate frosting covering the exterior.

The cake was massive.

The cake was unbelievably rich.

It had to be.

This was Sebastian’s chance to catch Ciel’s attention.

His master may be an omega, but there was one thing that Sebastian was sure of, Ciel would not be pressured or persuaded. 

Sebastian was certain that Ciel would accept him as her alpha, but the bluenette must come to that conclusion on her own.

And what better way to draw Ciel to him than with a decadent treat?

Sebastian finished applying the last bit of frosting onto the cake and he stepped back, admiring his work with a proud smile.

The Phantomhive butler quickly cleaned the area, making the kitchen presentable for Ciel, and then he stealthily retreated to the doorway, hiding just out of sight.

Carefully, Sebastian fanned the smell of warm chocolate cake down the hallway, allowing the scent to slowly drift up the stairs towards Ciel’s room……..

Sebastian smirked.

It was only a matter of time now~.

————————————————————

Ciel had spent the last couple of hours sweating and shivering on her bed, restlessly rolling from side to side, trying desperately to get comfortable.

Ciel’s pills were missing, that meant she would just have to ride it out….

But between the cramps and the shaking sweats that her hormones brought, not to mention the forced arousal as her body responded……

Ciel having to ride out her heat was very difficult.

Ciel had discarded all of her day clothes except her panties, changing into only her night shirt, which was what she felt most comfortable wearing.

Ciel’s nightshirt was also the loosest thing she had in her wardrobe.

The bluenete’s breasts were tender, swollen and hard from her heat, and she could feel an uncomfortable wetness between her legs as her womanhood pulsed, angry that there was no mate in sight.

Ciel sighed………..

No mate?

Ciel was just about to get up and pace for a few minutes when the smell of Sebastian’s chocolate cake finally wafted into the air…….

Ciel sat up with wide, hungry eyes.

The bluenette licked her lips.

Ciel had skipped dinner and it took an awful lot of energy to go through a heat.

Ciel’s nausea had subsided.

The bluenette was starving.

Ciel understood that by leaving her locked bedroom, she took a risk, but the cake smelled so delicious that it was a gamble she was willing to take.

If Ciel couldn’t have an alpha, at least she could have some chocolate.

—————————————————————

Sebastian was careful to stay out of sight when Ciel padded into the kitchen, although his heart raced with anticipation.

Regarding the omega with a predator’s steely gaze, Sebastian watched as Ciel walked over to the table and admired the enormous dessert.

Sebastian smirked when Ciel reached out and primitively grabbed a handful of the cake.

No fork…..

No spoon….

No knife….

Ciel’s sapphire eyes lit up in satisfaction as she crammed the luscious treat into her mouth.

Sebastian tried not to drool while he watched Ciel bend over the table, greedily glutting herself on the cake that the alpha had so carefully prepared for her.

That’s right, my kitten~. Sebastian thought to himself. Enjoy your treat, just like I’m about to enjoy mine~.

Ciel was so busy consuming her cake that she never even heard Sebastian move.

The bluenette’s eyes widened and she stopped abruptly when something hard suddenly pressed against her bottom.

“My, my, young master~.” Sebastian chuckled darkly behind Ciel, holding her hips firmly in his gloved hands. “How many times have I told you not to avoid dinner?”

Sebastian’s manhood twitched in his trousers at the way Ciel took the time to lick the frosting off of her fingers before she finally turned to look up at him.

Sebastian didn’t know what he was expecting to see on Ciel’s face…….

Shock?

Fear?

Anger?

…...But the only thing Sebastian did see was a pout.

Ciel looked up at Sebastian with not a scowl or a frown, but a disappointed pout.

Sebastian.

Sebastian was an alpha, Ciel was very well aware of that.

This cake was a well-laid trap.

Sebastian was probably the person responsible for the disappearance of her pills.

Sebastian had somehow discovered that she was an omega…….

Sebastian wanted her.

Ciel was not angry, but she was impatient.

The bluenette felt the attraction to Sebastian just as intensely as he did to her.

So why was he just standing there like an idiot?!

“Sebastian.” Ciel said, in as commanding of a tone as she could manage.

“Yes, bocchan~?” Sebastian purred, gritting his teeth while Ciel dared to push her bottom back firmly against his arousal, trying her best to entice him.

The next statement fell from Ciel’s lips like a dare, a dangerous invitation. “What are you waiting for?”

Sebastian smirked.

Forcing Ciel down on the table, Sebastian ripped her lace panties off with a snap of his wrist.

Sebastian freed his manhood from his trousers with one hand, snarling as he pushed Ciel’s nightshirt out of his way and entered her in an instant.

Ciel cried out, her nails raking the wooden table while Sebastian slammed into her over and over.

Ciel whimpered when Sebastian stopped and lifted her right leg over and across his hips, spinning Ciel to face him so he could nip at her lips while they kissed passionately.

“Se…….Sebastian…..” Ciel whimpered, clawing at Sebastian’s tailcoat, trying weakly to rip it off.

Sebastian made a sound of irritation in his chest.

How clumsy.

In the heat of the moment, the alpha had forgotten to undress himself.

“Forgive me, young master~.” Sebastian said in a voice that was between a growl and a purr.

Ciel whined pitifully as Sebastian eased himself from her body, leaving her panting and wanting as she sat completely exposed on the table.

Sebastian had his clothes off in mere seconds and used the pause to shred Ciel’s nightshirt, tearing it away from her body before he quickly pushed himself back into his omega, taking one of Ciel’s nipples into his mouth.

“Se-Sebastian!” Ciel cried while Sebastian made love to her right there on the kitchen table.

Sebastian groaned in response, feeling Ciel tighten around him, threatening to send him over the edge……..

“Tell me what you want, young master~.” Sebastian whispered seductively, flicking his tongue over Ciel’s breast while he continued to pump himself in and out, careful to run his fingers skillfully over the pink petals of Ciel’s exposed womanhood. “Tell me the truth~.”

“I…...I…...I want a child.” Ciel confessed, tears welling in her eyes that she couldn’t explain.

Maybe it was her heat or maybe it was the sweet torment of Sebastian’s tongue…….

“Well, little kitten, I want a mate~.” Sebastian said simply, nudging Ciel’s other breast gently, threatening to give it the same, loving care.

That made Ciel angry.

How dare he!

Sebastian was an alpha, but Sebastian was Ciel’s butler, she gave the orders.

With a shove, Ciel caught Sebastian off guard and pushed him backwards, forcing him all the way down to the floor.

Sebastian’s eyes widened as Ciel dared to climb on top of him, positioning him inside her with a throaty sigh.

When Ciel started to move, Sebastian lost the ability to swallow.

Ciel riding him was more erotic than Sebastian could have ever imagined.

“I…..said…...I want…...” Ciel huffed, her cheeks turning pink as something delightful coiled in her lower belly.

Sebastian gasped breathlessly as his hand shot out, daring to stroke Ciel in just the right places again.

Faster and deeper, Sebastian and Ciel moved against each other like they were competing…..

“I want it, Sebastian!” Ciel cried as she grabbed Sebastian’s throat and squeezed hard.

Sebastian’s voice was a dry whisper as Ciel forced the air from his lungs. “B-Bocchan!” 

Sebastian had never been so aroused in his life.

Someone as fierce but petite as his darling Ciel trying to dominate him when he really had all the control………

How delicious~.

Ciel squeezed her eyes shut, crying out as she finally received her pleasure. 

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”

“C-Ciel~!” Sebastian gasped hoarsely, finding his own bliss with a deep growl.

Ciel’s hands fell away from Sebastian’s throat and he buried his face into the crook of her neck, clutching the bluenette close as he sat up, growling his way through his own release.

They sat there on the floor, locked together, shaking and sweating for several minutes before either of them moved.

Sebastian lifted his head.

Ciel looked at him.

Sebastian leaned in and gave Ciel a deep, loving kiss.

Ciel inclined her head and accepted, returning Sebastian’s kiss eagerly.

Sebastian’s heart pounded with joy and excitement.

It was done.

Sebastian was Ciel’s alpha.

Ciel was Sebastian’s omega.

Sebastian lifted Ciel as easily as if she were a ragdoll, walking down the hallway with both of them naked as he carried Ciel towards his small bedroom.

Sebastian smirked to himself.

If one of the servants happened to see the couple, then let them look~.

Sebastian took Ciel to his room because the bed was small.

Before the night was over, Ciel would certainly be in Sebastian’s arms again, but Sebastian’s small bed would help that to happen faster.

As Sebastian laid Ciel down on the firm mattress and crawled over her, the bluenette looked up at him with a happy sigh.

“Sebastian…….”

“My beautiful kitten.” Sebastian purred.

And then Sebastian leaned down for another kiss, which Ciel was all too eager to accept…...

It was going to be a long night~.


	3. Chapter 3 - Good

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
————————————————————

Sebastian was normally the first one to rise, but late the next morning, Sebastian was still in bed, holding Ciel tightly against him. 

Normally, Ciel would have complained to Sebastian that his standards for service were slipping, that he should have had breakfast piping hot as soon as she woke……

But this was a morning unlike any other.

Sebastian’s small bedroom was utterly destroyed.

The furniture was misplaced, clothing had been carelessly discarded the previous night , lying here and there on the floor, glass was broken.

But Sebastian was not concerned with cleaning the mess.

The Phantomhive butler had shared an exquisitely passionate night with his omega~.

Sebastian was exhausted.

Though he was still recovering, Sebastian woke an hour or so earlier than Ciel and he laid still, holding her protectively.

Sebastian was too excited to go back to sleep.

Eventually, Ciel slowly opened her eyes and blinked up at Sebastian.

The curtains were drawn on Sebastian’s window, but the sunlight still peeked in.

A single ray fell across Sebastian’s chest, hitting Ciel squarely in the face.

Sebastian chuckled as Ciel squinted and moved her head.

Once Ciel had a clear view of her alpha, she regarded him with a pout.

Sebastian closed his eyes and pressed a gentle kiss to Ciel’s forehead.

That morning there were no formal greetings, no necessary talks about the day’s schedule……

No words passed between Sebastian and Ciel but somehow, they spoke more to each other than they ever had before.

With a sigh, Ciel closed her eyes again and settled back onto Sebastian’s chest.

Sebastian purred softly while he absent-mindedly stroked Ciel’s soft, bluenette hair.

In the silence, Ciel’s stomach let out a loud growl.

Ciel’s sapphire eyes shot open in mortification.

The bluenette didn’t mention the noise, but her cheeks turned red from embarrassment.

With a quiet groan, Sebastian slipped out from under Ciel and stealthily got to his feet.

Sebastian washed himself off and carefully dressed for the day.

Walking out the bedroom door and away from Ciel was one of the hardest things that Sebastian had ever done, but he knew that his new mate was hungry.

Not to mention that the servants would come asking questions soon……

—————————————————————

Ciel’s heat would last a few days.

Sebastian made arrangements to prepare for that.

While Ciel dozed on and off that morning, Sebastian sent the servants away for the rest of the week.

Then Sebastian was careful to reach out and contact several individuals, cancelling all of Ciel’s meetings and obligations that were scheduled over the coming days.

Finally, Sebastian prepared enough food for both him and Ciel until her heat passed, storing meals and desserts in the ice box that could be easily warmed on the stove.

Sebastian needed to be available to his dear omega, not stuck in the kitchen.

Once everything was finished, Sebastian smiled to himself.

Quickly, Sebastian prepared a lunch tray and placed it on the cart before he headed to his own room.

Finally, Sebastian could focus on what really mattered, his sweet Ciel~.

—————————————————————

Sebastian found the bluenette whimpering and waiting for him on the bed.

After Sebastian took Ciel into his arms once more, he coaxed her into taking a drink and having something to eat.

The next several days passed just like that.

Ciel didn’t speak very much and neither did Sebastian.

They didn’t need to talk, they were communicating just fine.

When Ciel started to whimper, Sebastian would happily pull her in close and make love to her, cuddling her and covering her in soft kisses during quiet moments.

Sebastian slept holding Ciel on his chest, with his arms wrapped around her as if she were a precious doll.

Ciel never complained about the hardness of Sebastian’s mattress or the mess.

Ciel was entirely focused on Sebastian.

Ciel never said that she wanted to go back to her own, much more luxurious bedroom.

Ciel was happy to be in Sebastian’s room instead, because that’s where he was, and that was where Ciel felt that she needed to be.

Once the initial phase of Ciel’s heat passed and her menstrual cycle began, Sebastian stayed at her side, gently rubbing her hips and her abdomen, and placing hot towels against her back to soothe her.

“Sebastian……..” Ciel whispered in a pained voice.

“Yes, my kitten?” Sebastian asked softly.

“I need you.” Ciel whimpered, her body stiffening as another cramp took hold deep in her center.

“I’m right here, my sweet one.” Sebastian reassured Ciel, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling into her neck.

“Always?” Ciel whispered.

Sebastian purred deeply, nibbling on Ciel’s ear gently as he replied, “Until the very end, young master~.”

Ciel didn’t respond, but Sebastian felt the bluenette place her hands over his and give them a firm squeeze.

That was all the response that Sebastian needed….

—————————————————————

Ciel’s heat ended and the servants returned to the manor none the wiser to what happened.

Ciel and Sebastian went back to their old routines.

Sebastian seamlessly resumed his position as Ciel’s butler, although there was a smug smirk on his face whenever Ciel called his name.

No one suspected that Sebastian had become Ciel’s alpha…….

Ciel kept her usual scowl as she continued to carry out her duties as Earl. 

Sebastian and Ciel themselves didn’t exchange a word about what had happened between them.

They were both comfortable and secure in their bond.

Since they had to hide their relationship, the evenings were their primary time for each other. 

Most nights, Ciel would pull on Sebastian’s tie when he went to tuck her in, signaling him to stay.

When that didn’t happen, Sebastian would retire to his room and undress, only to turn around and find that Ciel had silently crept in and crawled into his bed, patiently waiting on him.

Sometimes Sebastian and Ciel made love and sometimes Ciel just made good use of Sebastian’s arms, burrowing against his chest.

“Sebastian?” Ciel asked one night as she lay on top of her alpha.

“Yes, kitten?” Sebastian replied, brushing a strand of bluenette hair out of Ciel’s face.

“What did you do with my pills?” Ciel pouted.

Sebastian smirked.

So Ciel knew it was him…..

Sebastian chuckled. “Do you want them back?” 

“No.” Ciel said, lying her head down on Sebastian’s chest and listening to his heartbeat.

Sebastian traced gentle circles on Ciel’s exposed back with his fingertips.

Sebastian was just about to say something else when Ciel added...

“I don’t think I need them anymore.” The bluenette mumbled as she fell asleep.

Sebastian purred softly.

Ciel was his omega now.

Ciel belonged to Sebastian.

Pride swelled in Sebastian’s chest as he closed his eyes and drifted off.

But Sebastian had let his ego get in the way.

He didn’t completely understand what Ciel meant……

—————————————————————

Ciel was asthmatic and had been prone to illness all of her life.

Sebastian knew that.

That was why Sebastian wasn’t particularly worried when Ciel came down with a cold.

It wasn’t anything terrible, the bluenette just had a stuffy nose, a slight cough, and some headaches at first.

There was no fever, but as Ciel’s illness lingered, she began to tire easily.

It worsened to the point where she barely made it out of bed each day.

Ciel’s head throbbed almost constantly.

Every day, the bluenette lost her appetite shortly after noon, finding herself unable to eat for the rest of the evening.

Sebastian felt he was doing well to get Ciel to eat a few spoonfuls of porridge or broth early in the mornings.

When Ciel started to lose weight rapidly, Sebastian did begin to worry.

Ciel’s cough had disappeared and though she didn’t complain of wheezing, Sebastian frowned when he saw how sunken his lover’s eyes had become.

Sebastian tried to offer his suffering mate supportive care, bringing her ginger tea to ward off any lasting infection, but when that failed to stop Ciel’s decline, Sebastian was forced to call a doctor.

Ciel hated doctors.

Regardless, a few hours after Sebastian had phoned for help, the worried alpha stood outside of the door while he waited on the physician to finish examining the bluenette.

After nearly an hour, the door opened and the doctor emerged from Ciel’s room.

The doctor looked at Sebastian and Sebastian looked back with wide, concerned eyes.

“She’s very weak.” The physician nodded, stating what Sebastian was already well aware of.

“Yes, I know. Tell me, doctor, what can I do for her?” Sebastian frowned.

Surely Ciel wouldn’t die, not after they finally…..finally…….

“Let her rest as much as possible. Her appetite should return soon, in the meantime, don’t force her to eat. Keep her clean and warm.” The doctor instructed, starting to walk down the hallway.

Sebastian nodded obediently.

Those were all very vague suggestions and it would have been some time before Sebastian realized what was going on if the doctor hadn’t turned around and said, “And make an appointment with a midwife as soon as possible. The best ones take their clients early. Don’t worry, I know how to keep my silence.”

The physician had promised Ciel that he would not breathe a word to anyone about her condition.

At the moment, Sebastian wasn’t even thinking about that……..

Without another word, the doctor resumed his journey and left the manor.

Sebastian’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

Slowly, Sebastian turned around and opened the door, stepping into Ciel’s room and walking over to her bedside.

Ciel was awake, but her eyes were closed.

Even from where he stood though, Sebastian could see the pleased smirk on Ciel’s lips.

Sebastian silently took one of Ciel’s petite hands into his gloved palm.

So it was…….really true?

His master was……….

No, his mate was………

...With child.

His child.

“Sebastian.” Ciel said quietly, giving his hand a tight squeeze. “Thank you.”

Sebastian could hear the happiness in Ciel’s voice.

The thought of Ciel carrying his offspring both terrified and thrilled Sebastian all at once.

Sebastian wasn’t sure how they were going to handle this.

Sebastian wasn’t sure if this was even, could even be a reality while Ciel still lived her life the way that she was accustomed...but Sebastian was an alpha, Ciel’s alpha, and he was overjoyed at the news.

There in the silence of Ciel’s room, during that private, happy moment, Sebastian took the opportunity and kissed Ciel’s hand, purring quietly, “I love you, my sweet kitten~.”


	4. Chapter 4 - Shopping

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

Sebastian called a meeting with the servants right away.

Ciel didn’t want her private affairs known publicly, of course, but those that lived in the house with her would surely find out eventually….....

Sebastian calmly informed Tanaka, Baldroy, Mey-Rin, Finny, and Snake that he and Ciel were more than master and servant.

Everyone took a moment to process that bit of information.

The men were surprised but quiet.

Mey-Rin’s eye started twitching terribly upon hearing the news and Sebastian noticed that she kept wiping blood as it dripped from her nose.

“Well…...alright, then. We won’t tell anyone, Sebastian.” Baldroy said with a shrug.

Why would any of the Phantomhive servants do something that hurt Ciel?

They wouldn’t.

“Yeah, this is our home! We don't want anything bad to happen to Master Ciel!” Finny said cheerfully.

It was true, Ciel had given all of her servants a home and a family of sorts, rescuing each of them from miserable backgrounds.

“I’m very glad to hear that.” Sebastian said with a smile. “I’m afraid that I’ll need everyone’s help over the coming months as we prepare for our new guest.”

“ ‘New guest?’ Asks Toldstoy.” Snake inquired quizzically.

“Who’s coming to the manor?” Mey-Rin asked. “Will they be staying long?”

Sebastian smirked. “They’ll be here for quite some time, Mey-Rin, you could say that.”

“Who is it, Sebastian?” Baldroy asked. “You don't have to worry about us, we won’t let anything slip while they’re here.”

Sebastian chuckled and said with a sly smile, “I’m not worried about that, Baldroy. You see, the young master is in the family way.”

Well THAT was certainly shocking…..

“EEP!” Mey-Rin squealed as she fainted.

Baldroy, Finny, and Snake sat there, staring blankly at Sebastian with wide eyes. 

Tanaka just laughed.

“Congratulations, Sebastian.” Baldroy said once he recovered from his surprise.

Snake looked concerned while Finny said hopefully, “Master Ciel’s really going to have a baby? Maybe they’ll play with me once they get older!” 

“‘We don’t know anything about babies.’ Worries Emily.” Snake said nervously.

“There’s no need for concern, Snake.” Sebastian said reassuringly. “I’ll assign duties accordingly. The young master and I will be doing most of the child’s care.”

Mey-Rin was still unconscious, the idea of Sebastian conceiving a child with Ciel was just too much for her to handle.

Baldroy, Snake, and Finny were all apprehensive but excited.

It would be really different, having a little one around……

Tanaka seemed happy but unphased.

This was nothing new to the former head of the Phantomhive staff.

Tanaka had seen children born into the house of Phantomhive during his years of service and he was hopeful that as Ciel passed the Phantomhive name on, this child wouldn’t be the last.

—————————————————————-

Later in the day, Sebastian went to Ciel’s room to check on her.

The bluenette had been asleep most of the morning, waking only to eat a bite of breakfast and take a sip of water.

Sebastian found Ciel awake, but still cuddled under her blankets.

“How are you feeling, kitten?” Sebastian asked softly, sitting on the bed to gently stroke his mate’s hair.

“A bit ill.” Ciel said, her skin turning a pale green as a wave of nausea coursed through her. “I’ll be better, Sebastian. Just let me rest.” 

Sebastian took his hand away as Ciel rolled over.

Sebastian smiled softly to himself once Ciel dozed off again.

The bluenette was so cute when she slept!

————————————————————

With the servants aware of what was going on, Sebastian and Ciel enjoyed their new freedom.

Safely behind the walls of the manor, Sebastian and Ciel were free to be alpha and omega.

Husband and wife.

Sebastian arranged for a traveling priest from Ireland to come to the manor and marry him to his bluenette lover.

Sebastian dressed as a noble, not a butler.

The priest was a humble man from a humble village and he asked no questions.

The ceremony was completed with only the servants in attendance and the marriage license was signed.

The priest left the document with the newlyweds.

As happy as Sebastian would have been to drive the paper straight to town and file the form with the records department immediately, he accepted that wasn’t possible.

It didn’t matter…….

Sebastian and Ciel were married now, even if no one else ever knew that, they did, and that was satisfactory for both of them.

Ciel had been feeling a little better and she stayed out of bed on their wedding day, laying down with Sebastian late that night after they had consummated their marriage.

That was harder than Sebastian thought.

As much as he wanted to rip into his bride, Sebastian had to take extra care to be gentle.

His little kitten was in a delicate state now……

Just before they both drifted off to sleep, lying there in bed, cuddling in the warm glow of the fireplace, Sebastian covered Ciel’s body in soft kisses.

Ciel let out a quiet moan, letting her fingers tangle in Sebastian’s silky, black hair.

Sebastian paused and nuzzled Ciel gently, nipping at her earlobe.

When Ciel groaned softly and put her hand to her face, Sebastian pulled away.

“Are you alright, kitten?” Sebastian blinked.

Ciel took her hand away and nodded.

“I’m better than I’ve been in a long time, Sebastian.” The bluenette said with a yawn.

Ciel fell asleep long before Sebastian and he lay still for some time, holding the bluenette close.

Sebastian smirked when he saw the expression on Ciel’s face while she rested.

Sebastian had always done his very best to protect Ciel, to care for her, to comfort her…….

But despite all of her efforts, Sebastian had never seen that look on Ciel’s face while she slept……

Ciel was smiling.

A small smile, but a smile nonetheless, which Sebastian thought was much better than a scowl~.

————————————————————

When Ciel was awake, she tried not to show it, but with Sebastian as her alpha and his child growing within her, she was genuinely happy.

Sebastian had helped Ciel regain her dignity, her wealth, and her home…….

But now Sebastian had given Ciel himself as her mate, her alpha, her husband.

Sebastian had given Ciel the promise of a new family.

Sebastian tried to keep his purrs to a minimum, but it was difficult whenever he looked at Ciel.

If there was one thing that an alpha liked to see, it was their omega satisfied.

And Ciel was satisfied………

After the first couple of months passed, Ciel gradually gained some of her energy back and found the strength to get out of bed and resume her normal day.

Ciel’s congestion cleared up as her body adjusted and her evening sickness lessened day by day.

Soon the bluenette was able to eat normally again.

Sebastian had always been by Ciel’s side but Ciel noticed that now, her alpha seemed to go out of his way to stay in the room with her, or, at least to find a task to work on that kept him nearby.

Sebastian took the doctor’s advice and hired a midwife, a smart woman who came from Latvia and had no knowledge of British aristocrats.

Sebastian paid the midwife enough not to care who her new patient was…..

The woman spoke good English and Ciel was kind enough to offer her a room at the manor.

The less people saw her, the less questions would be asked…….

The midwife examined Ciel frequently but to Sebastian’s relief, the bluenette seemed to be doing well with her pregnancy.

Ciel was petite and she frequently wore a black cloak when she was in the public eye, so by the time Ciel was about four months along, she was still able to go out and about.

The bluenette had a very tiny curve to her abdomen, but it could have been mistaken for overeating.

Sebastian thought it was wonderful.

Sebastian’s hand was on the small swell whenever they were alone.

Ciel and Sebastian made frequent trips to London under the excuse of buying supplies.

…..But the pair were really shopping for the nursery.

On one particular trip, Ciel got a bit dizzy just before their last stop.

Worried, Sebastian took his omega back to the carriage and watched her closely for a few minutes.

“Are you alright, my love?” Sebastian asked, sitting in privacy beside Ciel, keeping one hand on her small belly and one hand around her back.

“Yes, I’m just…….tired, that’s all.” Ciel said with a sigh as the uncomfortable feeling ebbed away.

Sebastian nodded. “Then I’ll have Baldroy take us home.”

“—No, it’s just one more errand. Go ahead and   
pick up the wallpaper while we’re here.” Ciel insisted.

Sebastian discreetly kissed Ciel’s cheek while he whispered in her ear. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Ciel nodded silently as Sebastian opened the carriage door.

The bluenette relaxed while Sebastian stepped out into the street……..

—————————————————————

Sebastian went into the shop across the street and purchased the wallpaper that Ciel had custom ordered.

It only took five minutes.

Five minutes…...

When Sebastian emerged from the shop, his eyes narrowed.

Sebastian’s footsteps grew heavier as he crossed the street, moving towards the carriage.

Baldroy wasn’t in the driver’s seat, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Young…….master?!??” Sebastian gasped, opening the carriage door.

Sebastian’s heart thudded in his chest.

The Phantomhive butler’s eyes were wide as they scanned the inside of the carriage frantically.

There was no blood, no sign of a struggle, no clues anywhere……

But…….

The carriage was empty.

Baldroy was…...

Ciel was…….

Gone!


	5. Chapter 5 - Where?

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

Baldroy flinched as he slowly opened his eyes.

Slowly, he put a hand up to his face and took a breath in……

What…...?

Where……?

A moment ago, he had been sitting in the driver’s seat of the carriage, waiting on Sebastian.

A wave of nausea turned Baldroy’s stomach as he processed what had happened.

Had it been moments ago or hours?

Wherever Baldroy found himself now was dark and cold, the floor underneath him was made of rough stone.

Everything was spinning.

Baldroy turned his throbbing head and his eyes widened as he saw Ciel.

The bluenette was lying in a heap, discarded carelessly on the hard floor.

Sickly fear crept up Baldroy’s spine, threatening to turn into full blown panic as he crawled his way over to his fallen master.

Baldroy feared for the baby, but Ciel was lying so unnaturally still that a more pressing worry took hold in his mind….

Was Ciel……...dead?

As gently as he could, Baldroy reached out a shaky hand and placed it on Ciel’s shoulder.

“Ciel!” Baldroy croaked, attempting to rouse the bluenette.

No response came and Baldroy’s heart began to pound in his chest.

“Ciel!” Baldroy called again.

Ciel again failed to respond.

Hastily, Baldroy pushed aside the frilly layers of blouse and jacket that obscured Ciel’s neck and pressed his fingers directly against her throat.

Baldroy breathed a deep sigh of relief when he felt a pulse.

Ciel snowy cracked her sapphire eyes open and groaned softly. “Bal…..Baldroy? Where are we?”

#######%%%%%%^^^^^********######%%%%

Sorry for the short update this week! I normally don’t like to delve into real world issues, but the author of this story was unfortunately involved in a car accident and has had a lot going on in many ways. The next updates to this story and Web will be a normal length but Prisoner and Bocchan will resume their updates next week. Again, I apologize for the delay. In lieu of reading this or any of the above mentioned chapters, please hug your loved ones, do something you enjoy, or just take a breath of clean, fresh air. It is really scary how fast life can change.


	6. Chapter 6 - Who?

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

“Baldroy……..where….are we?” Ciel croaked as she swallowed dryly.

“I don’t know.” Baldroy answered quickly. “I’m not sure, but we’ll make it back just fine, don’t you worry! Stay quiet and let me do the talking, yeah?”

“Talking?” Ciel blinked in confusion.

Baldroy gathered Ciel into his arms and looked up when he heard a noise.

It seemed that he and Ciel were being held captive in a…..dungeon…..or maybe a basement….a cellar, perhaps?

The room was windowless, made of dark stone, and had only a small door with a metal grate covering the top.

Baldroy was wondering the same thing as Ciel…..where were they?

Who had brought them there?

Baldroy heard footsteps coming down the hall and he grit his teeth, clutching Ciel close.

Baldroy was loyal to Ciel, like all of the Phantomhive servants.

If these scoundrels thought they were going to hurt Ciel, Baldroy would make sure they went through him first………

Baldroy braced himself as he saw the shadow of a man moving outside the grate of the door.

The man peered into the dark cell and Baldroy noted his bright blue eyes.

Baldroy wanted to hurl insults at the man, to shout at him to open the door, but Baldroy knew he wasn’t in a position to threaten anyone.

He didn’t want to make things worse for him or Ciel…..

The man took a good, long look at Baldroy and Ciel and then he turned on his heel and walked away.

Baldroy and Ciel exchanged glances.

Baldroy heard Ciel whimper when he tightened his grip and he quickly moved his hand away.

“What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” Baldroy asked quickly.

“Nothing…..my arm hurts, it’s not bad….” Ciel said quietly.

Baldroy gently unbuttoned Ciel’s sleeve and pulled it up over her elbow. 

“It’s broken.” Baldroy said instantly, rolling her sleeve back down.

Baldroy wasn’t a Doctor by any means, but he had seen many broken arms before.

Ciel looked a little stunned but Baldroy smiled reassuringly at her.

“Don’t sweat it, Ciel!” Baldroy said encouragingly, “I’ve broken things dozens of times. It’ll heal up just fine.”

Ciel still blinked at him, dazed, and it was starting to worry Baldroy.

Instead of scowling or quipping smartly at him, Ciel just nodded.

“Everything’ll be just fine.” Baldroy said, trying to convince himself as much as Ciel.

Baldroy was a former soldier, he knew combat, he knew survival.

But now, battered and beaten, holding an injured pregnant woman, and without any weapons to use in defense, Baldroy was rapidly losing confidence in his ability to get them out of their predicament with no help.

“Hey, Ciel,” Baldroy asked. “Do you smell somethin’?”

In Ciel’s hazey, blurry mind, she heard Baldroy and realized that yes, she actually did smell something.

Ciel blinked a few times before she replied honestly, “Smoke.”

Baldroy’s eyes widened.

Gently, he placed Ciel carefully down on the floor and ran over to the door.

Down the dark stone hallway, Baldroy drew in a sharp breath as he looked at the enemy creeping towards them, an enemy which no sword or gun could defeat.

Baldroy didn’t have to worry about fighting or deceiving their captors.

No, saving himself and Ciel would be much more simpler than that.

All Baldroy had to do was avoid the flames.

—————————————————————-

Sebastian followed Ciel’s trail and brought the carriage around the block. 

The first thing Sebastisn saw was the building that held his wife being eaten by the blaze.

Sebastian prepared to go charging head first into the fire just as Baldroy came leaping through the doorway with Ciel in his arms.

Sebastian quickly beat the burning flames off of Baldroy while the blonde coughed to clear his lungs, laying Ciel on the carriage seat.

Ciel didn’t remember much.

Things didn’t make any sense…….

Her arm hurt…….

Her lungs ached, her knuckles were white as she coughed into her fist while her lungs, impaired by asthma, struggled to purge themselves from the thick smoke inside them.

“Kitten, hold on.” Ciel heard Sebastian say somewhere in the distance. “Just hold on……”

—————————————————————-

“Baldroy!” Ciel cried, sitting up with a gasp.

The bluenette found herself sitting in her bedroom, clean and dry, with her arm bandaged and in a sling.

Mey-Rin, Snake, Tanaka, Finny, Sebastian, and Baldroy were all there, milling around at her side, alive and well.

“Young master!” 

“Ciel!”

“Master Ciel!” 

“Kitten!”

“Ho! Ho! Ho!”

“I’m right here, don’t worry about me!” Baldroy assured the bluenette, although Ciel saw several small bandages on her cook, which covered scratches on Baldroy’s arms and face.

“We’re so glad to see you doing better, we are!” Mey-Rin exclaimed.

“I hope you feel alright, Ciel!” Finny said with a smile.

Tanaka sipped his tea.

“ ‘Good to see you awake’, Says Emily.” Snake said.

“Kitten, we were so worried.” Sebastian said, hurriedly sitting at Ciel’s side and looking at her intently. “How do you feel? Can you see us alright? Can you hear us?”

“Yes, I can see…..I can hear.” Ciel nodded, then she looked down at her arm. “What happened?”

“Someone nabbed us, me and you both.” Baldroy shrugged, “They roughed us up, then they tried to burn us out, but we escaped, yeah!”

“What happened to your face?” Ciel asked, narrowing her eyes at Baldroy in concern.

“Just a few nicks, don’t worry about me!” Baldroy said with a smile.

“You suffered a head injury and a broken arm.” Sebastian said quietly, trying to explain things to Ciel without shocking her entirely. “You’ve been asleep for some time, we were starting to think you may not wake up.”

Ciel blinked at Sebastian. “How….how long have I been out?”

“Nearly a week.” Sebastian replied.

Ciel looked visibly shaken and Sebastian nodded to the others, signaling for them to leave.

After everyone was gone and Sebastian and Ciel were left alone, Sebastian gently embraced Ciel, careful not to hurt her arm or belly.

“Kitten, I thought I was going to lose you, both of you.” Sebastian admitted, nuzzling into Ciel’s neck.

“I was frightened, Sebastian.” Ciel whimpered. “And you know what?”

“What’s that, my love?” Sebastian cooed as he pulled away, cupping Ciel’s face in his hand.

“I really hate fire.” Ciel said quietly.

The bluenette kept her voice strong to sound brave, but Sebastian saw the tears well in his wife’s eyes.

This had all been too close.

Sebastian would watch Ciel like a hawk now, increasing his vigilance.

But at the same time, he and the others had to launch an investigation immediately…….

Sebastian had silenced all of Ciel’s enemies long ago.

Who would do something like this?


	7. Chapter 7 - Debt

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

“Sorry…...my…..um….that’s wrong, let’s try again.” Ciel said slowly, putting a hand up to her temple.

Sebastian sat across from Ciel at the table in the game room.

In front of them was a simple matching game of cards.

Ciel had just made the last of three mistakes in a row and Sebastian was growing concerned.

“Kitten, we’ve been playing for nearly an hour. Why don’t we take a break? The doctor advised not to push things.” Sebastian cautioned, watching Ciel carefully.

“One more, Sebastian, I’m alright.” Ciel said, waving her hand.

Sebastian nodded and shuffled the deck.

Memory games, matching games, simple tasks that relied on someone being able to identify and replicate patterns…….those were the things that had filled Ciel’s days following the weeks after the abduction.

Baldroy was fine.

Ciel’s arm healed faster than her brain and that was what worried Sebastian and the doctors.

A broken bone usually isn’t a cause for serious worry, but a hard blow to the head……

Ciel tired easily, she was confused more often than not, and sometimes, her words wouldn’t make any sense and she would grow frustrated, falling silent and looking down at the floor.

Sebastian had taken Ciel to the best doctors in London, but all had advised against any kind of surgery and other forms of treatment were discouraged due to Ciel’s pregnancy.

Rest, practice, and hope, were the only things the doctors were able to prescribe.

Ciel’s belly continued to grow and it was good that her appetite seemed to be unaffected…..

However, it was not good when Sebastian woke once in the middle of the night to find himself alone in bed.

Sebastian had hastily stood up and walked to the bathroom.

Ciel was not there.

Sebastian ran down the hall, checking every room.

Ciel was not in any of them.

Sebastian dashed down the stairway…..

Ciel was not there.

Trying very hard not to panic, Sebastian woke the other servants and they immediately began a furious, thorough search of the manor.

Where could Ciel have gone?!?

Two hours later, just before sunrise, Sebastian finally found his poor bluenette wandering aimlessly in the forest against the very back edge of the Phantomhive property line.

Sebastian frowned in pity when he saw his pregnant wife standing there in the grass, dirty from hours of walking and shivering in the icy early morning air, clad only in her nightshirt.

“Kitten, what on earth are you doing? It’s much too cold out here for you.” Sebastian chided, quickly taking his wool tailcoat off and placing it around Ciel’s shoulders.

“Sebastian,” Ciel asked in a small voice, looking up at her husband with tears in her eyes. “How did I get here?”

That incident frightened Sebastian.

From then on, he hadn’t left Ciel alone, even to visit the toilet, instead, he stood outside the door, waiting.

When they went to sleep, he tied Ciel’s ankle to his, that way, if she woke up and tried to wander off again, he would know.

And from then on, instead of signing documents or working on matters concerning Funtom, Sebastian tried to dedicate every day towards Ciel’s recovery.

Long hours of uninterrupted sleep, healthy meals, mnemonic devices, games designed to stimulate one’s reasoning power, those were Ciel’s new focus.

It seemed to be working.

Before her series of three mistakes, Ciel had played two entire matching games flawlessly.

It gave Sebastian hope.

Perhaps Ciel would recover completely.

When Ciel took a nap later that afternoon, Sebastian sat at her side, purring softly to himself while he gently stroked her rounded belly.

Ciel had to recover.

Sebastian needed her of course, but even more so, their child would need its mother.

—————————————————————

Sebastian could strangle the people that had done this.

His world with Ciel had been so full of joy and hope, and now, like a swarm of roaches, the assailants had come and defiled everything, making each day full of uncertainty and difficulty.

Extreme difficulty, really.

Since Sebastian had to watch and guard Ciel intently every passing second, his resources were severely limited as far as investigating what had happened.

Snake, Finny, Baldroy, and Mey-Rin all tried to help, but while their hearts were in the right places, none of them had been recruited to serve the house of Phantomhive for their brilliant detective skills.

One evening, Sebastian sat in his office, thinking.

He had brought Ciel out of bed while she was still sleeping and peacefully tucked her in on the small sofa in the room so he could watch over her.

Sebastian had to find a way to drive this investigation!

But the other servants….

No, Sebastian needed someone to go out into the world and be his eyes and ears, but someone with the right skills and prowess…….

Snake couldn’t work without his friends, so he would be too obvious.

Mey-Rin lacked the stealth.

Baldroy didn’t have the tact.

Tanaka was too old.

And Finny…….well, that just wasn’t a job that suited the boy.

Who?

Sebastian contemplated his contacts.

Sebastian thought about Ciel’s meager amount of friends.

Sebastian considered reaching out to Grell or to Prince Soma and Agni.

But Grell would want something in return and Prince Soma and Agni, sometimes they weren’t very discreet.

Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

Oh dear.

The hour grew late and Sebastian found himself still sitting at his desk, pondering the same dilemma when a knock came on his window.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes and looked outside.

Nothing.

Cautiously, Sebastian unlatched the window and stuck his head out, peering around.

No one.

How odd.

Sebastian pulled himself back in the room and turned to glance at Ciel, seeing her still sleeping peacefully, he quietly closed the window.

“Hello, dear butler~.” A low voice whispered.

Sebastian whirled around and his eyes widened as he saw Undertaker standing beside his desk.

How sneaky!

Slipping in through the window while Sebastian’s back was turned!

“My, my.” Sebastian said, getting over his surprise. “What brings you here this evening?”

“I heard you needed some help. I suppose you could say, a little birdie told me. Hehe!” Undertaker giggled.

Sebastian wondered for a moment who that could have been, that had access to Undertaker, but he pushed the question out of his mind as he replied. “Oh?”

“Yes.” Undertaker nodded. “So you see, I’ve come to offer my services to you and to our dear Earl Phantomhive.” Undertaker grinned.

“And if we accept, I expect there’ll be an increase in your fee?” Sebastian asked.

“Actually, no.” Undertaker smiled. “Consider this a special favor, free of charge, a payment on a debt that I owe.” 

Sebastian narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“To the Phantomhives?” Sebastian asked incredulously.

Undertaker gave Sebastian a wild grin and shrugged.

“.....Very well.” Sebastian said hesitantly. “My master was attacked recently, along with our cook, and abducted. An attempt on their lives was made, but I’m unable to leave her now to discover why or who. That’s what I need to find out.”

Undertaker tapped his long nails against his chained belt thoughtfully. 

“Alright, then.” Undertaker said after a moment. “Shouldn’t be any trouble.”

“Don’t you want more information?” Sebastian asked as Undertaker walked over and unlatched the window, preparing to leave.

“No, I don’t think I need any.” Undertaker said casually, bending to step out the window.

Before Undertaker left though, he turned to Sebastian and smiled, “Oh, and dear butler, congratulations.”

Sebastian blinked while Undertaker left and closed the window behind himself.

The sheets and covers Ciel was nestled in hid her figure from view.

Sebastian and Ciel had kept their marriage and her pregnancy a secret.

So how did Undertaker know?


	8. Chapter 8 - Working

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

While Undertaker set about his mission, Sebastian continued his own…….taking care of Ciel.

Day by day, the bluenette seemed to be teetering on the verge of a recovery.

Ciel’s skills slowly improved at the memory games and practice assessments.

Sebastian was no longer awakened by Ciel standing in the middle of the night to wander off into danger.

But Ciel remained unusually fatigued, even after a long night’s rest, and she still looked at Sebastian with a hazy stare sometimes.

One evening, Sebastian brought Ciel a late night snack of pudding while she sat in bed.

Ciel blinked when she saw Sebastian frown as he served her the treat.

“Is something the matter, Sebastian?” Ciel asked.

“No, kitten, I’m just concerned.” Sebastian replied, sitting down on Ciel’s bed and watching her while she ate her dessert.

“I’m fine, Sebastian. I’ve been telling you that for weeks and you’ve never believed me.” Ciel replied.

Ciel felt a strong ripple across her belly and her hand flew to her side.

Sebastian’s eyes followed the movement and he placed his palm over Ciel’s.

“Does it hurt?” Sebastian asked quickly. “What’s the matter, kitten?”

“No. Nothing, Sebastian!” Ciel answered with an irritated chuckle. “Am I not allowed to feel?”

Sebastian ignored Ciel’s snappy comment and pushed the covers down, splaying his hands over her swollen belly, covered only by her thin nightshirt.

“You’ve seemed so high strung since the…...the accident. It’s not like you.” Ciel chided quietly.

“That’s because it was no accident.” Sebastian replied. “I need to be here, for you and the little one, but I need to protect you two as well.”

“Yes, well, I’ll always have enemies, Sebastian. Some things are immutable.” Ciel sighed.

“You leave that to me, kitten~.” Sebastian purred, taking the dishes from Ciel once she finished.

Instead of returning to the kitchen straight away. Sebastian sat the dishes on the nightstand for just a moment and pulled Ciel into his embrace, winding his arms around her as he kissed the top of her head and purred, “I won’t let you out of my sight again. You’re safe with me, my sweet little kitten~.”

Ciel nuzzled against Sebastian and closed her eyes.

Sebastian made her feel warm and protected…….

Safe?

Yes, safe.

As long as Sebastian was beside her, Ciel was safe.

And it was in that feeling of carefree security that Ciel dozed off, falling asleep.

Ciel had been spending a great deal of time asleep recently.

Sebastian hoped that all of the rest Ciel was getting would heal her brain as much as her body.

Sebastian sighed quietly to himself while he gently released Ciel and tucked her under the covers.

Sebastian stood from the bed, collected the dishes from the nightstand, and hurried to the kitchen.

After the dishes were cleaned and put away, Sebastian quickly returned to Ciel’s side, stripped down, and climbed into bed to hold his wife close.

Sebastian pulled Ciel’s soft form next to him under the covers and closed his eyes as he thought……..

While Sebastian would have rather been leading the investigation himself, he hoped that Undertaker would not disappoint.

With Ciel’s current condition, it became more pressing than ever…….

Any enemies of the Phantomhive family must be eliminated.

—————————————————————

Tap……

Tap…….

TAP.

A sharp noise at the window woke Sebastian in the middle of the night.

Careful not to disturb Ciel, Sebastian stealthily stood from the bed and walked over, opening the window.

Sebastian stepped to the side as Undertaker gracefully entered the room.

Sebastian was a bit annoyed that he had been woken from such a lovely sleep, but he was excited to hear an update on the investigation.

“How are things going?” Sebastian whispered in the darkness to Undertaker.

Undertaker waved his hand. “They’re going, butler, they’re going. That’s not why I’ve come.”

“Oh?” Sebastian blinked.

“No. I’ve changed my mind. This is bigger than I had originally anticipated and it’s going to take quite a bit of work. I’m afraid I’ll need payment if I am to continue my task.” Undertaker explained.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes and spoke in a very hushed, very annoyed voice. “My master is asleep. I can’t make a lot of noise right-“

“-No, no.” Undertaker interrupted. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything, dear butler~. Perhaps, anyway……..For my payment, I desire to hold the child when it’s born. If you’ll grant me that privilege, I will ask for nothing else.”

Sebastian blinked incredulously. “You want…...to hold the child?”

“Yes.” Undertaker confirmed with a nod.

Sebastian was instantly suspicious. “........Why?”

A Shinigami wanted to hold Sebastian and Ciel’s newborn?

Sebastian felt a rush of protective instinct overwhelm him.

Was that some kind of a harbinger that the child Ciel carried wouldn’t survive?

Undertaker’s request was a little unsettling.

Undertaker hissed in the darkness. “Because children are silly things and it will make me laugh far more than anything you can do. Are we agreed?”

“Very well, but I’ll be watching closely.” Sebastian reluctantly agreed, although he was still very skeptical.

Undertaker cackled quietly while he slipped out the window. “Have it your way, dear butler~. I’ve got to get back to work…..Hehe~.” 

Once Undertaker was gone, Sebastian closed the window and crawled back in bed next to Ciel, snuggling his precious bluenette close to him.

Sebastian’s hands wrapped around Ciel’s belly protectively and he frowned.

Surely Undertaker’s price wasn’t an……..omen?

—————————————————————-

Days passed.

Ciel worked on resting and recovering.

Undertaker worked on his investigation.

London bustled with the busy happenings of everyday life for its thousands of residents.

Several miles from the city though, on the southern docks of the country, the many fishermen of Britain went about their work without anyone noticing.

As the sun started to set one day, a particular fisherman was just coming in from a long day on the ocean.

Elderly and stooped over, the fisherman’s clothes were nearly as tattered as his boat, his unruly white hair stuck out in odd bits and pieces from under his weathered cap.

With a groan that comes only from those of advanced age, the old fisherman docked his small dingy and picked up his full net before he stepped off onto the pier.

The fisherman’s pale face grew even whiter and his cloudy eyes widened in shock when he looked up and saw Undertaker standing there on the pier in front of him.

Undertaker leaned on his scythe and leered at the fisherman with a wicked grin.

The fisherman’s surprise faded from his face and he lifted his net higher on his back before he grunted out at Undertaker, “Well? Hurry up, then, brother. You’re late.”

Wordlessly, the fisherman turned in the opposite direction and slowly made his way off the pier, carefully ascending the tall steps that led to his humble cottage at the top of a nearby cliff.

Silently, Undertaker picked up his scythe and followed behind him.

—————————————————————

A short while later, a fire crackled beside them while the fisherman and Undertaker shared a meager dinner of freshly caught fish and baked potatoes.

Undertaker had removed his hat and his robe, hanging them on hooks by the door.

The silver-haired Shinigami then sat in front of the fisherman bare from the waist up.

Undertaker watched the aged fisherman’s face contort while the elderly man ate his food.

“You look old, Terrence.” Undertaker commented.

Terrence, the fisherman, swallowed and shrugged, “Time changes everything, but you, Cedric, you still look….”

“Youthful?” Undertaker smirked.

“-Haunted.” Terrence finished.

Undertaker chuckled dryly. “Yes, well, I’m afraid you’re wrong, brother. Time does not change everything.”

Terrence took another bite and the two men stared at each other silently for a moment.

Once Terrence finished, he cleared his throat and said, “It’s good to see you again, Cedric. It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it has.” Undertaker nodded.

Terrence continued with a sigh, “But I’m certain you haven’t come for a reunion. Tell me, I’m not like you, Cedric, I’m old and I’m very tired…...what do you want?”

“I need your help.” Undertaker said quickly with a frown. “I know you still have contacts from your youth, is there any way you could—“

“Contacts?!” Terrence laughed. “Contacts? Terrence, you know I’ve lived as a humble fisherman for decades now and I——“

Undertaker’s hand shot out and he grabbed Terrence’s right arm, pulling his tattered sleeve up to reveal a faded tattoo of an hourglass.

Undertaker’s eyes narrowed as he spoke, “Years of piracy don’t disappear, brother, I’m no fool.”

“PRIVATEER!” Terrence hissed, yanking his arm from Undertaker’s grasp and rubbing his wrist. “We were privateers, hired by the Queen. Don’t compare me to those lawless ruffians! It isn’t my fault I was shanghaied at fifteen, either. What was I supposed to do? Let them hang me?”

“Of course not.” Undertaker said, putting up his hand to signal his surrender. “Whatever you say, Terrence. I just need you to reach out and see if you can find any leads, once again, I am facing a threat that must be stopped.”

Terrence gave Undertaker a long, hard look, then he laughed bitterly, “A threat that must be stopped, eh? And I suppose, if I find out what you want me to, then the danger will be no more? Tell me, how did that go the first time?”

Undertaker’s face melted into a mask of pure suffering and he turned away from his brother, gazing into the fire.

“....And how did that go the second time, Cedric?” Terrence pressed on. “Yes, that was surely a grand success!”

Undertaker flinched at Terrence’s words.

“I never meant for anyone to suffer!” Undertaker mournfully declared.

“IF CLOUDIA HAD CHOSEN ME, SHE’D STILL BE ALIVE AND SO WOULD HE!” Terrence roared accusingly at Undertaker.

Undertaker was visibly uncomfortable and he turned his eyes towards the floor with a great sigh. “I drown in my own guilt every day. I haven’t come here to be berated, Terrence. I haven’t come here to relive the past, either. If you refuse to help me, that’s fine, I’ll manage on my own.”

“Would you like some advice from your big brother?” Terrence asked quietly.

Undertaker’s bright green eyes glanced back up at Terrence.

“Do what you should have done the moment you married Cloudia…...run.” Terrence said in a very grim tone. “Take those you’re trying to protect, take them, and run. Hair can be cut, names can be changed, property can be bought, but curses? Aye brother, some curses, you’re better to just leave alone. Run away, Cedric. Take it from an old sailor, there’s lots of nice places in this world besides good ol’ England.”

“You can’t run from everything, Terrence.” Undertaker retorted.

Terrence gave a hearty laugh, “Says the man who thinks he can cheat death by becoming it! I’ve been running since I was fifteen.” Terrence shrugged and then he grinned. “They haven’t caught me yet~.”

“I never said I’m trying to cheat death. I’m not afraid to die.” Undertaker huffed.

Terrence laughed mirthlessly as he continued, “No, you’re not afraid of dyin’, that’s not it. You’re afraid of seeing her again, aren’t you? You’re afraid she won’t forgive you. It’s not going to be easy, Cedric, to tell your lady love that her baby boy was burned to ash because of—“ 

“I know you loved her too, but she chose me! That was her decision, not mine!” Undertaker snapped, “I’ve taken them down twice before and they keep coming back like roaches!” Undertaker cried, slamming his fist on the heavy, wooden table.

“And if you want the girl to live, then heed my advice and have her run far, far away, you nitwit!” Terrence shouted back.

Undertaker stared Terrence down and Terrence snorted across the table from him like a wild animal.

Undertaker calmed himself and spoke more quietly, “Please, she’s your great niece, after all…..surely you don’t want her to end up like….like….”

“I’ll help. This is foolish, what you’re doing and all, but I’ll help. I’ll do what I can.” Terrence promised. “If you really want to save her though, the best thing to do is to run, listen to me…...”

“Thank you, brother. I’ll take my leave and let you rest.” Undertaker said quickly.

Undertaker stood from his chair, put his hat and robes back on, collected his scythe, and left Terrence’s modest cottage.

Once Undertaker was gone, Terrence stood as well, his old bones creaking as he hobbled into his small bedroom.

There, on Terrence’s antique dresser, sat a very old photo frame with a sepia portrait inside of a beautiful young woman with dark hair and piercing eyes.

Bluenette and sapphire hues didn’t show up well in photographs from the mid nineteenth century…....

Tears welled in Terrence’s eyes as he took the frame into his hands and lovingly touched the picture.

“Oh, Cloudia,” Terrence sighed, speaking to his departed love, “If only you’d chosen me…...if Vincent was my son…..how very different things would be…....”


	9. Chapter 9 - The Open Window

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

By the time that Ciel entered the final weeks of her pregnancy, she had made a nearly full recovery from her head injury.

Sebastian hadn’t received an update from Undertaker in an uncomfortably long time, but he was positive that the Shinigami would stay true to his word.

Sebastian didn’t have a choice at the moment, he was unable to leave Ciel’s side.

Sebastian allocated the other Phantomhive servants to keep a watchful eye out and stand guard against any would-be direct attacks on the manor.

That way Sebastian could focus on his wife and child……..

Sebastian had prepared the nursery in the room next to Ciel’s, he had ordered and gathered supplies, he was as ready as he felt that he could be.

With every day that passed, Sebastian seemed to grow more anxious and Ciel seemed to grow calmer.

Ciel wasn’t nervous or fearful.

Ciel was satisfied, Sebastian had given her what she wanted.

At least once a day, Sebastian secretly watched from the doorway as the bluenette walked around the nursery, adjusting a folded blanket here, straightening a book there…..

The omega wanted everything perfect and it made Sebastian chuckle to see, he thought it was adorable.

One afternoon, Ciel sat in the rocking chair of the nursery, flipping through a picture book when Sebastian stepped into the room with a smile.

“Would you like some tea, kitten?” Sebastian asked politely.

Ciel started and looked up from the book, a little embarrassed that Sebastian had found her there.

The bluenette thought that her nursery visits were mostly a secret…

Ciel struggled to get up and leave, trying to make her presence in the room seem like an accident. “-No, I’m fine, thank you, Sebastian, I was just…..”

“-Nesting.” Sebastian finished for Ciel, catching his mate in his arms with a loving purr.

Ciel cleared her throat as her tummy rubbed against Sebastian. “I just want everything to be in order.”

Sebastian gave a nod of approval and kissed Ciel sweetly.

As Sebastian pulled away, he whispered in her ear, “Anything you want, my sweet kitten~.”

Sebastian smirked at Ciel before he left the room, going to prepare the evening’s dinner.

Ciel frowned once she was left alone.

Sebastian’s words caused the bluenette’s cheeks to blush a deep shade of pink……

…….because they were true.

A family.

Hope.

Ciel finally had what she wanted.

————————————————————

However excited and proud Sebastian was, he wished that Undertaker would at least send a message, or a note, or a word from Grell, or…..

Something.

The last thing that Sebastian needed was a band of miscreants attacking the manor when the child was born or stealing the infant and harming him or her for spite.

Sebastian would have written to Undertaker himself, but what postman could have correctly delivered a parcel addressed to such a person?

Morticians had plain names and addresses.

There were thousands of “Undertakers” in London alone.

How would Sebastian’s proposed letter ever find the right recipient?

—————————————————————

Sebastian didn’t have to worry about sending a letter, but he didn’t know that yet.

One night, Undertaker was en route to the manor just as the full moon started to gleam proudly in the sky.

Undertaker frowned at his reflection in the window of the carriage.

Undertaker hadn’t found many clues.

Terrence’s contacts were still gathering information.

In fact, Undertaker really had nothing to report, he was just coming to let Sebastian know that he was still working on the investigation…..

…….And to see if the baby had arrived yet.

While the carriage rumbled along, Undertaker idly twisted the chain of his belt between his fingers.

Two of the lockets on the chain clinked together with the motion and the light of the moon illuminated one locket’s engraved name,

Cloudia Phantomhive July 13, 1866

—————————————————————

“May I go to sleep now?” Ciel asked Sebastian with a scowl, standing across the room while she watched her alpha change the sheets for the third time in a row.

Sebastian either didn’t hear Ciel or he chose to ignore her until he got the flat sheet onto the bed.

Once that was finished, Sebastian stepped back and surveyed every inch of the sheet top.

“Oh, dear,” Sebastian sighed, then he looked over at Ciel. “I’m so sorry, kitten, there’s a wrinkle at the top corner of this one as well. One moment and I shall change it straight away.”

“Sebastian, it really doesn’t bother me. I’d just like to lay down!” Ciel protested as Sebastian started to pull the clean sheet off.

They went through this nearly every night now and Ciel found it exhausting.

Sebastian was Ciel’s alpha, so with their baby’s impending arrival, it was normal for Sebastian to feel an increased urge to guarantee his omega’s comfort, of course…..

…..But with all of Sebastian’s fussing, Ciel was more uncomfortable than she would have been if he hadn’t cared at all.

Sebastian prepared some meals two or three times over before he served them to Ciel, wanting to make sure the cooking and the ingredients were perfect.

If Sebastian found Ciel sitting in a chair or lying down, he would immediately start trying to adjust her, the pillows, or the cushions.

To Ciel’s dismay, Sebastian was just trying to make her as comfortable as possible, even while she flailed her arms and protested for him to stop.

And now, every night, before Ciel laid down to sleep, Sebastian had to make sure that the sheets and the bed were absolutely perfect for his darling omega to lie on.

Ciel rubbed her face with a hand, sighing quietly while Sebastian flew around the room, working on making the bed again, “Sebastian, please, I’m so tired, I don’t care if I sleep in a pit at this point.”

“Don’t worry, bocchan~.” Sebastian cooed to Ciel. “These will be better, I can already tell.”

Ciel rolled her eyes.

Ciel was a noblewoman, an aristocrat who was used to service and pomp, accustomed to the finer things in life…..

But even Ciel couldn’t see anything visibly wrong with the last two sets of sheets that Sebastian had insisted on changing!

Finally, by the time Ciel was nearly shaking with exhaustion, Sebastian was at last satisfied with the way the bed was prepared. 

Sebastian quickly strode over and scooped Ciel into his arms, bringing her to the bed, and carefully tucking her in.

“Can we open a window?” Ciel asked quietly.

Sebastian blinked. “.......Yes…...What’s the matter, Kitten? Do you feel like you have a fever?”

“No, I feel fine.” Ciel replied, “It’s just very warm in here.”

It was not very warm in the room at all.

“Of course.” Sebastian nodded and did as Ciel requested, walking over and opening one of the windows beside her bed. “Perhaps a cold glass of milk would help?” Sebastian asked.

Ciel snuggled into the pillows and nodded, her eyelids starting to get heavier and heavier.

Sebastian gently felt Ciel’s forehead before he left the room.

To Sebastian’s relief, Ciel’s skin was cool to the touch, but her complaint sent Sebastian walking quickly down the hallway with nervous excitement.

Sebastian wondered if Ciel feeling so suddenly overheated meant that……..

—————————————————————

While Ciel waited on Sebastian and her glass of milk, she slipped in and out of a light sleep in her bed.

While Ciel dozed, Undertaker’s carriage pulled up, and stealthily, the reaper scaled the outside of Phantomhive Manor, making his way up to Ciel’s bedroom, expecting to find Sebastian.

Ciel rolled onto her side when an uncomfortable cramp overtook the lower part of her spine.

Ciel waited for the ache to pass but when it only increased, she opened her mouth to cry out for Sebastian, just as Undertaker stepped through the open window in her room…...


	10. Chapter 10 - Lungs

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

“Se-Sebastian!” Ciel called out as pain surged up her back and she turned her head in time to watch Undertaker sweep into her room through the window.

Ciel had no idea why Undertaker was there, but knowing what he was and what he did, Ciel was more than frightened by his sudden appearance.

Undertaker frowned as he realized that Sebastian was not in the room, but when he noticed that Ciel was in pain, his eyes softened with sympathy and his voice rang with concern as he spoke, “Oh dear, Earl…….here, let me help you…”

“SEBASTIAN!” Ciel screamed as Undertaker stepped towards the bed.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you.” Undertaker said quietly as he let Ciel grab onto his hand for support.

Undertaker helped the bluenette to move into a comfortable position on the bed and with his free hand, he began to rub deep circles into Ciel’s back with his open palm.

“SEBASTIAN!” Ciel screamed again, just as Sebastian came running down the hallway and bursting through the door.

“YOUNG MASTER!” Sebastian exclaimed, his eyes were wide as he quickly took in the scene….

Ciel was in pain….

Undertaker was here…..

“I think it’s time, dear butler~.” Undertaker said in a low voice to Sebastian, jostling the alpha out of his shocked stupor. “Go quickly and call the midwife, I’ll watch over her until then.”

“Sebastian!” Ciel called weakly as she watched Sebastian race back down the hall towards the telephone.

Ciel didn’t want Sebastian to leave her side even for a second, but she knew she didn’t have a choice…..

Sebastian’s heart beat so forcefully in his chest that he wondered if his ribs would break or not.

Sebastian’s hands, usually so skilled and steady, trembled as he picked up the phone.

This was it, they would finally get to meet their baby!

Ciel was finally going to hold the child she so desperately craved.

Sebastian couldn’t get the question off of his mind, though……

What news did Undertaker bring?

—————————————————————

Regardless of whatever information Undertaker has come to share, the birth was the more pressing matter.

The midwife arrived and Undertaker gladly waited downstairs in the parlor as one hour turned into two, two turned into three, three turned into four…..

Undertaker paced aimlessly around the room while he listened to the sounds above his head.

Ciel’s cries and moans of pain echoed off the halls.

Undertaker could hear the frantic chatter of the midwife and her team, and if he focused hard enough, he could hear Sebastian’s low voice, speaking soothingly to Ciel as he urged her on.

Footsteps…….

The clinking of tools…..

The splashing of water…….

There was a lot of movement in Ciel’s room.

Undertaker smiled softly to himself.

Yes, there always was a lot of commotion at a time like this.

Undertaker’s green eyes clouded over as he became lost in his memories for quite some time, thinking back to a day, two different days actually, in which he was in Sebastian’s current position and instead of Ciel on the bed, it was……..

Undertaker frowned.

It was……..

Suddenly, the movement and the noise above Undertaker’s head stopped abruptly, just after one particularly loud, guttural scream rang out from Ciel.

Undertaker grinned.

It was over.

The baby had arrived.

Good!

Any second now, the next sound would come.

A new sound.

A lovely sound.

Any second………

Any……..

Second…………

Undertaker’s grin faded as that fleeting, triumphant moment plunged into a dark moratorium of despair.

A memory, a frightening memory that chilled Undertaker to the bone played through his mind like a living nightmare and he ran out of the parlor, even though his body felt as heavy as lead……

Suddenly, sound echoed off the walls of Phantomhive Manor, but not the sound….

No.

Undertaker’s eyes were wide with fear as he dashed up the stairs and down the hallway.

Instead of a baby crying, all Undertaker heard was the sobbing of his granddaughter.

—————————————————————

Ciel’s door was closed but that made little difference to Undertaker as he came rampaging through it.

The midwife and her two assistants were bustling around the room, fetching tools and supplies from their bags, Sebastian was kneeling on the bed in front of Ciel, who was dripping in sweat.

Undertaker’s eyes quickly flitted over Ciel and he found what he was looking for.

The new baby, not even washed yet, lay in Ciel’s arms, chubby, beautiful, and……. still.

Everyone was already mourning the loss.

For the first time, the only one in the room with hope was a Shinigami.

Yes, Undertaker had been through this twice before and once he had seen something like this happen, but clearly, no one else in the room had.

Undertaker knew from personal experience that Phantomhives were famous for their ill-formed lungs.

Sebastian scrambled quickly to cover Ciel but the omega was in so much pain physically and mentally, she wasn’t as concerned.

Lying there, clutching the silent baby that Ciel had wanted so badly, Ciel’s soul was as bare as her body.

Ciel’s face was distorted with unimaginable grief, it was a look that Undertaker had seen frequently in his line of work, but this time, that look of grief disturbed him greatly.

This time, it was personal.

Before anyone could say anything, Undertaker strode over to the bed and snatched the baby right from Ciel’s arms.

The bluenette went wild.

Ciel’s shrieks nearly deafened Sebastian as she clawed and fought, unbelievably strong for someone who had just gone through such an ordeal.

Sebastian had never seen Ciel so animalistic, but in that moment Ciel was no longer a refined aristocrat, Ciel was a new mother desperate to save her child as death itself just walked in and took it away from her…..

Ciel didn’t know that Undertaker had come to meet with Sebastian, and she didn’t know who Undertaker was, really, all Ciel knew about him was one word…….Shinigami.

The blanket fell away from the baby, a boy, and Undertaker sat down and clutched the child close, flipping him over onto his belly. Undertaker cradled the tiny infant’s head and neck securely in between his thumb and index finger as he laid the baby across his knee and slapped the infant’s back forcefully.

SLAP!

Ciel made a noise like Undertaker was hitting her instead and Sebastian stood from the bed, enraged, and stalked over to Undertaker.

SLAP!

“Stop that at once!” The midwife cried.

SLAP!

Sebastian snarled as he charged at Undertaker, growling dangerously. “Let go of him or-!!!!”

The infant gave a small, shuddering gasp……

A single wet cough cleared his tiny lungs…...

“WWWWWAAAAA!”

Everyone in the room stopped.

Ciel instantly quieted and looked on with wide, grateful eyes.

“WWWWAAAAAAA!!!!” The tiny baby wailed as Undertaker lifted him up, clutching him carefully, with a wide smile.

Yes, it happened just like it had on that warm June day years ago…….

“Here you are, butler.” Undertaker said with a proud grin as he stood and placed the small, angry baby in Sebastian’s arms and left the room. “I’m letting go of him~.”

—————————————————————

The midwife and her assistants finished tending and cleaning mother and baby, talking all the while about the heroic action Undertaker had taken to save the little one.

Once Sebastian and Ciel were given a private moment, Ciel was left staring down at her new baby boy in shock.

“He’s perfect.” The bluenette whispered quietly, gently touching the baby’s miniature hand that stuck out of the blanket.

“He’s beautiful, my sweet kitten.” Sebastian purred in approval, his eyes soft with admiration as he watched Ciel admire their newborn son. “......So are you~.”

Sebastian had never seen Ciel look so happy or so calm.

As an alpha, Sebastian was close to exploding with pride and adrenaline.

It was odd, really, unlike anything Sebastian had ever experienced before.

“What are we going to name him?” Ciel asked.

“You’ve been through a lot, my love, I’ll let you decide.” Sebastian said thoughtfully.

“Undertaker……...saved his life.” Ciel said quietly.

“Yes.” Sebastian smiled. “He did.” 

Ciel’s smile faded for a moment and as she looked at her little son, she sighed. “I have an order for you, Sebastian.”

“Anything, kitten~.” Sebastian replied sweetly.

“Find out Undertaker’s real name, then, when I wake,” Ciel said with a yawn. “Tell me.”

“Of course.” Sebastian nodded.

Sebastian reached out to take the baby, but Ciel tightened her grip on the infant, even as she laid back to rest.

“I’ve got him.” Ciel said sleepily to Sebastian. “I’ve still…...got him……..”

Ciel was reluctant to let go of her new baby.

Sebastian even had to do quite a bit of work to pry his son from his wife’s arms once she had fallen asleep, but he managed, barely, taking the sleeping infant out of Ciel’s room and down the hall.

Undertaker and Sebastian had a deal, and now, Sebastian had an order.

Undertaker would hold the baby for his payment.

Sebastian would learn Undertaker’s real name to please Ciel.

That was all well and good, but as Sebastian walked along, he narrowed his eyes at his little son.

Sebastian had thought the light of the fireplace in Ciel’s room was casting a shadow, but then the sconces in the hallway showed the same thing…….

Pausing at a closet, Sebastian opened the door and quietly turned on the electric light, studying his new little son carefully.

How odd………..

Sebastian furrowed his brow.

It wasn’t every day that a baby was born with grey hair.


	11. Chapter 11 - Missing the Blue

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

Sebastian found Undertaker sitting in the parlor.

Sebastian silently noted the way that the Shinigami looked up and smiled……….

Undertaker smiled, not grinned, when Sebastian entered the room holding the sleeping baby.

“As promised.” Sebastian nodded as he walked over and very carefully laid his newborn son in Undertaker’s arms.

“Hehe~.” Undertaker giggled quietly, careful to keep his voice barely above a whisper so he wouldn’t wake the baby.

Sebastian watched Undertaker admire the little one for a moment and he thought to himself…..

Something was odd…….

But how should Sebastian proceed?

Sebastian started off by simply expressing his gratitude. “Thank you.”

Undertaker shrugged as best he could without disturbing the baby, “No need to thank me. I just did what needed to be done.” 

“I should say so.” Sebastian said, sitting down in a chair across from Undertaker. Sebastian’s gaze was deep and calculating as he added, “It's fortunate that you arrived when you did. Really, it’s quite astounding that you knew exactly what to do…..it was almost as if you’ve seen that exact situation before.”

Undertaker’s smile faded and he bristled at Sebastian’s words.

Undertaker did not like where Sebastian was taking their conversation……

Undertaker scowled at Sebastian. “I was coming to give you an update on the investigation, that’s all. You do realize that I rip bodies apart for fun, right, dear butler~? My hobby has given me a great deal of knowledge. I could probably rival a doctor with what I know about the human body.” 

“I see. So, what’s the update on the investigation?” Sebastian asked.

“There is no update. I’ve come to offer my advice. Flee while you can, tragedy has befallen the Phantomhives before and it will surely do so again.” Undertaker said very matter-of-factly.

This time, Sebastian frowned. “You claimed you could find—“

“-Well, I can’t!” Undertaker hissed as harshly as he could without waking the baby. “I’ve nowhere else to look, alright? No where else! Stop playing these silly games, you fool! You have a family to protect now, don’t you understand that?!”

Undertaker got ahead of himself.

Sebastian’s eyes widened as the Shinigami scolded him.

Undertaker cleared his throat and Sebastian carefully considered the next words he would choose…..

“Yes, I understand that.” Sebastian said calmly. “However, I don’t understand why my child has grey hair.”

Undertaker raised an eyebrow. “Surely, dear butler, you aren’t suggesting……?”

“Oh, no, of course not.” Sebastian added quickly, “I just think it’s…..odd….that’s all.”

Undertaker replied casually, “Dear Earl has grey in her hair, the baby is just missing the blue, that’s all.”

Sebastian smiled at Undertaker.

Yes, Ciel did have grey in her hair……...

Undertaker looked uncomfortable.

Sebastian kept his sly smile as he continued, “Francis Midford also has grey hair…..I always thought it was due to her age, but the more I think about it, I can’t help but wonder if it’s not a family trait……”

“What difference does it make?” Undertaker snapped.

“What difference does my son make? You said yourself you rip people apart for sport, why bother saving an infant?” Sebastian asked, pressing deeper.

“Everyone has secrets, dear butler.” Undertaker replied.

Undertaker used his usual phrasing but the normal whimsical humor was gone from his voice.

“What if your secrets get my wife killed?” Sebastian asked solemnly.

“They won’t if you run.” Undertaker replied just as seriously.

Undertaker rose silently and placed the tiny baby back into Sebastian’s arms.

Undertaker whispered to Sebastian warningly, “When you three are ready to leave, come see me, I can help. Just please, I beg you, don’t wait too long.”

Sebastian looked up at Undertaker and watched him start to walk out of the parlor.

Undertaker thought that Sebastian was out of earshot but Sebastian heard Undertaker mutter to himself as he walked towards the front door, “...........that was my biggest mistake.”

“Wait!” Sebastian hissed quietly, chasing Undertaker down while he still held the sleeping baby. 

Sebastian caught up with Undertaker just as he opened the door to leave, “It is my master’s wish to know your real name.”

Undertaker scoffed at Sebastian. “And what makes your master think she has a right to that information, eh?”

“I think that she’s grateful to you for saving our son.” Sebastian said simply, glancing down at the baby and then back up at Undertaker. “I’m afraid ‘Earl Undertaker Phantomhive' won't have a very good ring to it one day.”

Undertaker looked like Sebastian had slapped him. 

The baby would be named after him…….

The gesture moved Undertaker to share one of his closely guarded secrets.

“Many years ago I was called ‘Cedric’.” Undertaker said in a grave tone of voice.

“No surname?” Sebastian asked, still prodding Undertaker for information.

“That’s all Earl Phantomhive needs to know.” Undertaker replied.

Before Sebastian could ask anything else, Undertaker turned and set off into the night.

Sebastian quickly closed the door shut, moving the baby out of the chilly night air.

Sebastian smiled down at his son.

Cedric.

That wasn’t such a bad name.

————————————————————

Ciel was too exhausted and overjoyed to ask many questions at first.

Ciel attributed Cedric’s hair to being similar to hers, just a little lighter.

But Cedric’s hair really was missing the blue….

The bluenette omega spent every second either resting or looking after little Cedric.

Sebastian had never seen Ciel work so hard at anything as she did at caring for their baby, and it made him smile to see Ciel so serene.

Ciel was tired, but she was infinitely happy, pleased, and fulfilled.

Ciel’s attitude towards everything seemed to improve a bit and Sebastian noticed that even though she spent many nights practically sleepless, Ciel had more patience with everyone.

Sebastian smirked to himself sometimes when he was cooking dinner or dusting the bookcases or tending to Cedric alone.

As proud as it made Sebastian to have a wife and a son, he couldn’t help but revel in the fact that he had given Ciel what she really wanted……

A family.

—————————————————————

Ciel still needed and depended on Sebastian and so he was still prevented from running an investigation into Ciel’s enemies himself. 

Sebastian had no more meetings with Undertaker for a long time.

He dismissed Undertaker’s offer.

Pack up and leave?

Ciel would never run, and now, with the baby, Sebastian didn’t really see how that was possible.

Cedric was doing fine but he unfortunately seemed to have frail lungs like his mother.

And he was still so little……

Would Cedric even survive a trip somewhere far away?

Instead, Sebastian ordered the servants to remain on high alert and he considered contacting Grell for help.

As much as Grell’s name alone made Sebastian cringe, perhaps the red-headed reaper would prove more useful than the grey-haired one.

Grey hair………..

Sebastian didn’t realize that by not pressing on with Undertaker, he was dropping the key to Ciel’s and Cedric’s safety.

Fortunately, as Ciel regained her strength and energy, she began to put a few things in order.

Ciel preserved Cedric’s first lock of hair.

Ciel had a copy of Cedric’s birth certificate ordered from London.

And lastly, Ciel retrieved a very old box that had belonged to her father, and his father before him.

In the contents of the antique box were a few family heirlooms and the Phantomhive family tree document, on which Ciel was going to write Sebastian’s and Cedric’s names.

The box was easily over a century old and Ciel blew the dust off of it once she sat it on her desk.

Thinking back, Ciel doubted the box had been opened since she was a child……..

It would have been destroyed in the fire if Francis Midford hadn’t kept it for several years……

Blinking, Ciel opened the box, found the family tree she was looking for, and penned in Sebastian as her husband and Cedric as her son.

Marriage date……….

Birth date………

Birth…….

Date……..

Ciel couldn’t help but let her eyes wander up towards her parents’ entries and her heart swelled with longing to see them one last time……..

But then another name caught her eye………

Ciel had only looked at the family tree as a little girl and then she had never really paid attention…..

But now, as an adult, Ciel studied it closely.

Ciel’s father.

Vincent Phantomhive

Ciel’s aunt.

Francis Midford

Spouses, Children…...

Over Vincent Phantomhive’s and Francis Midford’s lines rested their parent’s entries.

Ciel’s paternal grandparents.

Cloudia Phantomhive   
Born April 5th, 1830  
Died July 13th, 1866

Cedric K. Ros  
Born March 22, 1822  
Died

Ciel scowled when she noticed Cedric K. Ros was missing a death date.

Then, paralyzing shock rocketed through Ciel’s body as realization hit……..

Cedric K. Ros, husband of Cloudia Phantomhive.

Grey-hair……...

Cedric.

Grey-hair……….

An affinity to the Phantomhive family………

Cedric.

Ciel tore out of the manor without even telling Sebastian where she was going.

—————————————————————-

Ciel didn’t have time, she was on an important mission.

Ciel’s strong horses raced down the London street a short while later and the carriage had scarcely skittered to a halt before Ciel jumped out and charged across the street, heading into Undertaker’s shop.

“Eh?” The silver-haired Shinigami looked up in complete surprise when Ciel came bursting through his door.

The bluenette faced Undertaker with narrowed eyes and grit teeth.

“Are you my grandfather?!?!?” Ciel blurted out.

Ciel normally enjoyed a good game, but on this matter, the bluenette wanted to get straight to the point.

Undertaker’s usual, carefree grin disappeared and he brushed his hair out of the way so that Ciel could see his scarred face clearly.

Undertaker had an expression that was as grim as the grave as he replied honestly, “Yes, I am.”

Ciel gasped as if the air had just been leached from her lungs.

Undertaker felt himself tremble, anticipating what Ciel would say.

Undertaker was very vexed that Sebastian had not contacted him about help in evacuating Ciel and the baby from harm’s way.

Undertaker would have much preferred to keep all of his secrets, but perhaps unveiling them was the only thing that could convince Ciel and Sebastian…..

The Phantomhives were a cursed line.


	12. Chapter 12 - Change of fate

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

It was a beautiful morning in the spring of 1840 as a damask carriage pulled into the driveway of Bedlam Asylum.

Inside the carriage, a very proper man and a very prim woman sat opposite each other and gazed in opposite directions so as to avoid one another’s faces.

When the carriage came to a stop, the man and the woman found themselves forced to speak.

“Are you sure this is the right thing to do?” The man asked.

“They said she’s docile now, you read the report.” The woman shrugged.

“She was docile to begin with.” The man hissed.

“Were we not meant to send her, then?!” The woman cried.

“No, of course not, of course not…..” The man sighed.

“Let’s just fetch here and she’ll be off our hands soon enough. Three weeks isn’t long.” The woman said in an exasperated tone.

A moment of silence passed and neither the man nor the woman moved or spoke.

“......Shall I do it, then?” The man asked in an irritable tone.

“You may as well! I can’t bear to show my face.” The woman snipped.

With a grunt of aggravation, the man huffed his way out of the carriage and stomped along the dirty walkway that led to the asylum doors.

The man was tall, handsome, blonde, well dressed, and immaculately groomed.

The man made a striking contrast to the filthy, decaying insides of Bedlam as he walked through the asylum entrance.

With a scowl on his face, the tall, handsome man walked over to a window and addressed the orderly behind it, handing over a paper.

“I’m here for my daughter.” The blonde man said in a low whisper.

“I see.” The orderly nodded, scanning his eyes over the paperwork. “What a lucky girl she is, sir! It isn’t every day that we have releases….”

“Get on with it!” The tall, handsome man hissed.

“As you wish, Earl Phantomhive.” The orderly nodded, giving the tall man a wicked, snaggletoothed smirk before he walked out of his office and into the catacombs that held Bedlam’s unfortunate residents.

The tall, handsome man paced around the dingy lobby for a few moments until the door opened and the orderly appeared, standing behind a very short young girl.

The girl was clad in a filthy nightdress and her arms and legs were covered in dirt, on top of her head lay copious amounts of long, blonde hair that was matted and greasy.

The man tried not to show surprise or concern as he looked at the girl who sniffled and started to weep, her violet eyes filling up with heavy tears as she cried and reached out towards him, “Father!”

“Come along, Cloudia.” The tall man said without a single note of sympathy, turning his back on the young girl as he walked out and expected her to follow behind him, “It’s time to go home.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No more words passed between Undertaker and his granddaughter.

Undertaker expected Ciel to hurl insults and accusations at him, to call him a liar and a coward, but instead, the bluenette turned on her heel and left his shop as suddenly as she had arrived.

When Ciel returned home a short while later, Phantomhive Manor lapsed into chaos.

Sebastian tried to control the damage while Ciel cried nearly as hard as the baby and the servants failed to help, botching their chores as usual.

Close to midnight, Sebastian had finally completed the household tasks for the evening, the baby was at last asleep, and Ciel was curled up in bed, her tear-stained eyes wide and staring straight ahead at nothing in particular.

“Kitten, please,” Sebastian urged once more as he climbed into bed beside Ciel and began to gently rub at her back. “What on earth has gotten you so upset? I can’t imagine what you saw in London today that was so traumatic.”

Ciel closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Please,” Sebastian pleaded, frowning while he looked down at his suffering wife.

Even Ciel’s shoulders were stiff and rigid, the muscles in her neck tight with stress as she clutched onto the mattress.

Sebastian’s instincts commanded him to help his hurting omega, but for that to happen, Sebastian needed to know…….

“My grandfather.” Ciel gasped, her throat dry from the sobs that had wracked her small frame for hours.

“........Your…...grandfather?” Sebastian blinked.

Sebastian thought that Ciel’s grandparents had been dead for decades, long before she was even born.

What was…….

“My grandfather…...is Undertaker.” Ciel hissed, swallowing hard as if she was going to vomit.

Sebastian’s hand stopped rubbing circles into Ciel’s back.

His eyes widened.

Sebastian had a suspicion that Undertaker may be a cousin or an uncle……..

…...But never did Sebastian imagine that Undertaker was Ciel’s grandfather.

Ciel squeezed her eyes shut in frustration while Sebastian’s mind went to work…..

Undertaker was Ciel’s grandfather…..how very odd!

Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

How very rude of the silver-haired reaper to be so stubborn all these years!

Why had Undertaker never spoken about this before?!?

Sebastian grit his teeth when he thought about the battles he had fought, apparently needlessly, with Undertaker and the wounds he had suffered from the grey-haired Shinigami…...

Sebastian felt a strange sense of comfort from the situation, though.

If Undertaker had witnessed the rise and fall of the Phantomhive family first hand, then perhaps he was the key…….

Sebastian began to kiss Ciel’s cheek and rub her back again to soothe her.

Suddenly, for the first time in weeks, Sebastian found himself in a hurry to schedule a meeting with the silver-haired Shinigami.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Cloudia.”

“Cloudia…..”

“Cloudia!”

Cloudia started and quickly looked over at her mother as the carriage clattered along.

Cloudia Phantomhive had just returned from Bedlam the day before and she was still quite exhausted.

However, upon awakening the following morning, Cloudia was informed by her parents that her mother was taking her into London for an errand.

Cloudia would have much rather stayed home.

“I’ve been calling you for the last minute! Where is your head?!?” Countess Delana Phantomhive scolded her daughter.

Cloudia looked down at her feet timidly. “I’m sorry, mother.”

“Listen to me when I’m talking to you! I hope your corset is tied properly, we have an appointment with the seamstress and she’ll need your most recent measurements.” Countess Delana huffed.

“I’m not wearing a corset.” Cloudia frowned.

Countess Delana nearly hit the carriage ceiling in shock, “You’re not wearing a corset?!?!?”

“No.” Cloudia frowned. “The maids said I don’t need one.”

Duchess Duarme scowled at her daughter.

Cloudia frowned up at her mother.

The maids had a point.

Why bother with a corset?

Cloudia was rail thin, her figure was as slight as the line of ink from a pen, and her waist was almost impossibly slender.

Above it, there was not much to bind or push up.

But that didn’t matter to Countess Delana.

“It is obscene for a young lady to not wear a corset!” Countess Delana fumed.

“Then take me back home and I’ll put one on.” Cloudia offered.

“Absolutely not! There’s no time, the seamstress must take your measurements today!” Countess Delana insisted.

“Are you and Father buying me a new dress?” Cloudia asked, her violet eyes wide with hope.

“We are, indeed.” Countess Delana nodded.

“How wonderful.” Cloudia said with a happy, grateful smile.

After four years in Bedlam being exposed to nightmarish scenes and enduring tortures most people could never understand, finally being taken home and given new clothes was like a dream come true to Cloudia.

Countess Delana sniffed. “We’ve betrothed you to Duke Rappenwald. The new dress is for the wedding.” 

Cloudia gasped.

Inside her thin chest, her heart sank.

It wasn’t a dream come true.

No, it was just another nightmare…….

“But….” Cloudia started to protest.

“The wedding is in three weeks.” Countess Delana said coldly.

“But I’m not even sixteen!” Cloudia cried.

“You will be by then.” Countess Delana shrugged.

The carriage came to a stop and Cloudia looked out the window at the gray London street.

Gray………

The people were gray.

The sky was gray.

The buildings were gray.

Cloudia’s world was gray.

Everyone and everything in it was gray.

Meaningless, nondescript……

Cloudia had been born perfectly healthy.

Her parents were aristocrats and as such, they had access to all the fashionable fixtures of the era that wealth promised.

In the time that Cloudia was born, bright green was a very stylish color.

The color was so chic that the Earl and Countess Phantomhive decided to decorate Cloudia’s room with bright green Morris wallpaper, which retained its vibrant hue from the heavy amounts of arsenic with which it was manufactured.

Every breath that Cloudia drew as a baby brought a little more arsenic into her system.

Amazingly, the levels of heavy metal were not enough to end Cloudia’s life, but they were enough to change it forever.

Cloudia suffered brain damage as an infant.

Once she grew, signs began to show that she wasn’t quite right.

Hallucinations, seizures, delusions, problems remembering things, digestive woes, phantom pains that no doctor could ever diagnose……

Cloudia became a popular topic of conversation throughout English aristocratic society and a true embarrassment for her parents.

Unable to have another child, the original Earl Phantomhive and his wife hid their daughter in Bedlam until she came of age to marry.

They were hopeful that then, perhaps, Cloudia could serve some purpose after all by producing a proper family heir.

Cloudia started again when the carriage door was opened by a servant and Duchess Delana exited first.

Cloudia reluctantly stepped out of the vehicle.

“Come along, let’s get to the seamstress’s shop, we’re already behind.” Duchess Delana ordered, pulling Cloudia down the street.

“Wait!” Cloudia said, stopping suddenly and holding a hand to her temple. “Wait!”

“What?” Duchess Delana asked with narrowed eyes, stumbling to a stop. “What’s wrong with you, now?!”

“I’ve suddenly remembered something!” Cloudia said, her eyes lighting up as she looked at her mother.

“What is it, Cloudia?! Stop this nonsense, we don’t have all day!” Duchess Delana said threateningly.

“——I don’t want to!” Cloudia gasped as if that were a huge revelation.

In one smooth motion, Cloudia jerked her slender arm free from her mother’s grasp and ran off down the gray street.

“CLOUDIA!” Duchess Delana shrieked, watching her ticket to the end of her own humiliation run through the crowd.

Cloudia’s mother called and called, but Cloudia just ran and ran.

Cloudia crashed into a boy about her age and her same, petite size.

Cloudia paid the boy what little money she carried, stripped his clothes off of him, quickly put them on, and left him standing stark naked in the alleyway clutching her dress and petticoats.

Tucking her thick hair under a cap, Cloudia proceeded towards the docks and managed to secure herself a position as a lookout on a privateer ship bound for East Asia.

A young first mate by the name of Terrence gave Cloudia admission……….

Reeling and furious, Duchess Delana suddenly found herself childless, shouting alone in the middle of the street.

But as the ship disembarked from London, Cloudia looked out from the crow’s nest with a bright smile.

Suddenly, Cloudia Phantomhive’s world was no longer gray.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sebastian nuzzled Ciel with a gentle purr while she slept in his arms.

Even in her sleep, Ciel inclined her head when she felt her alpha kiss her cheek.

Sebastian knew the best way to quiet his omega.

Ciel had sobbed and raged against him.

Sebastian had let her, allowing Ciel to beat on his chest and scream curses at him.

Then, once Ciel had finished and used all of herself up, Sebastian took her into his arms.

Sebastian had kissed his omega gently at first, then once she kissed back, his hands wandered to her hips.

A few minutes longer and Sebastian was gasping for breath as he buried himself inside his wife, trying to forget his own pleasure while he focused on hers.

An hour more and Ciel’s cheeks were still pink from bliss.

Sebastian smirked when he heard Ciel sigh his name as she dozed off.

And now, as Sebastian watched Ciel sleep, he felt……...afraid.

There was someone out there that wanted to take this away from Sebastian.

Ciel……

The baby……

Sebastian let out a deep growl.

As a husband, as a father, and as an alpha, with or without Undertaker’s help, that was something that Sebastian simply couldn’t allow.


	13. Chapter 13 - Does the bell toll?

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

Cloudia Phantomhive spent the next five years of her life sailing the bold, colorful world.

Cloudia and Terrence became inseparable, but Cloudia’s fate would change yet again.

Terrence’s ship went down in the ocean during a violent storm one chilly winter evening.

Cloudia was supposed to be lost with the ship that night.

Undertaker was the Shinigami assigned to collect her soul.

Not everyone could see reapers, but Cloudia could, and Cloudia wasn’t in the mood to die.

Never before had a person faced Undertaker and never before had anyone taken two swords and sliced his face and chest to ribbons, but Cloudia did.

From the brutal way that Cloudia attacked him, to the ringlets of bright, blonde hair that framed her fair face, to the burning stare of her unusual, violet eyes…….Undertaker was absolutely smitten.

Undertaker was so smitten, in fact, that he decided to go against protocol…..

Undertaker pulled Cloudia from the wreckage with her body and soul still intact, and after he made sure his brother was alright, Undertaker and Cloudia made their escape.

By doing so, Undertaker violated several reaper policies.

The other Shinigamis were not pleased with Undertaker’s choice, and they were just as disgusted as Terrence when they learned that Undertaker and Cloudia had quickly married and soon after, started a family of their own.

But domestic bliss was an inaccurate description of Cloudia’s life with Undertaker….

Cloudia had a difficult time settling down.

Cloudia felt stagnated, stifled, strangled, shut up in her fine house with only her husband and children for company.

Undertaker was exhausted.

Life with Cloudia was not easy and besides that, it was difficult to keep a family up and work Undertaker’s long, grueling hours.

It was like living in two worlds at once…...

Cloudia was not a simple person to be around, but regardless, she and Undertaker still loved each other.

Just as much as Sebastian loved Ciel………

—————————————————————

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Ciel said stubbornly the next morning while Sebastian began to wash and dress her for the day.

“Why not?” Sebastian asked.

“You’re being very difficult this morning.” Ciel scowled at Sebastian with narrowed eyes. “Because I never want to see that man or speak to him again!” Ciel huffed.

Sebastian had suggested as soon as they woke that Ciel should invite Undertaker for tea and talk to him about the past so they could search his memories for clues.

Ciel promptly and vehemently refused.

“Very well.” Sebastian said with a sigh once he finished washing, dressing, and grooming Ciel.

Ciel was ready for the day, that meant it was time for Sebastian to tend to himself.

Ciel was seated on the bed and Sebastian purposely walked over to the dresser and began to strip in front of her.

Sebastian forced himself not to smirk as he felt Ciel’s eyes wandering hungrily over the graceful lines of his chiseled muscles……….

“Yes?” Sebastian asked casually, meeting Ciel’s gaze with his own as he slipped his dress shirt on, exposing his flawless chest.

Ciel shifted on the bed while she watched her alpha.

“Sebastian,” Ciel said commandingly, then she added in a much softer tone, “I want a kiss.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Sebastian said with a sweet smile.

Ciel’s eyes widened in shock, then they narrowed to slits.

What?!?

How dare Sebastian refuse her?!?

“Why not?!” Ciel gasped.

“Because you’re being very difficult this morning.” Sebastian said calmly as he combed his hair.

After those words left his lips, Sebastian could feel Ciel’s eyes boring into him with rage instead of lust and it made him grin.

Once Sebastian’s hair was tidied, he turned around to face Ciel.

Ciel scowled at Sebastian.

Sebastian smirked at his wife.

“Fine.” Ciel spat, crossing her arms. “I’ll invite him to tea.”

Sebastian nodded in approval and he walked over, kneeling in front of Ciel.

Ciel laid a hand on Sebastian’s cheek as he pressed his lips to hers with a deep, loving purr.

Ciel’s knees clutched Sebastian’s hips as he deepened their kiss and Sebastian slowly laid his bluenette back on the bed.

Suddenly, tea with Undertaker didn’t sound so bad to Ciel…..

—————————————————————

Three days later, Undertaker anxiously arrived at Phantomhive Manor, accepting Ciel’s invitation to tea.

Sebastian stood in the background while Undertaker nervously sat across from Ciel, who frowned at her grandfather.

“Lovely flavor.” Undertaker remarked, taking another sip of his beverage, trying to break the uncomfortable, frozen silence in the room.

“What was my grandmother like?” Ciel asked Undertaker at last.

“Cloudia was……..” Undertaker paused while he thought of an accurate answer. “Cloudia was….herself.”

Ciel’s frown deepened.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t speak in riddles all the time.” Ciel snipped.

“Perhaps you should broaden your thinking.” Undertaker retorted.

Undertaker had dropped his “dear earl” and “dear butler” phrasing and his mask of toothy grins had fallen away.

There was no point in pretending now……

“Why have you never said anything? Why did you not come for me?” Ciel huffed.

Those weren’t the questions Ciel was supposed to ask, but they were the questions that she desperately wanted to be answered.

“I’ve been extremely busy.” Undertaker said.

“All my life?!?” Ciel exclaimed.

“Yes.” Undertaker nodded. “And before it.”

Ciel scowled.

“I didn’t know what happened to you after the fire. I thought you were dead. Every day I checked the boxes for your cinematic record, but it never came. Shortly after, I heard news that you were back home and I was so very happy.” Undertaker explained with a wry smile.

“But not happy enough to come and greet me? Not happy enough to tell me the truth?” Ciel scowled.

Undertaker’s smile faded. “My negligence was what killed your grandmother…. and your father…...and I thought it killed you……...but then I thought you were safe…….Now, I know that you aren’t. You need to leave this place and get far, far away.”

“Leave my home?!” Ciel questioned.

“Leave this house, this city…...all of England. Run, that’s the best protection I can offer you and little Cedric.” Undertaker said solemnly.

“Surely you must know something!” Ciel exclaimed. “How did my grandmother die?! Was she attacked like my parents?! Did you just stand there idle?!?”

“No.” Undertaker shook his head. “Your grandmother was poisoned. There was nothing I could do, nothing the doctors could do…... Who poisoned her? I haven’t a single clue. I never have and I doubt I ever shall.”

Sebastian perked up suddenly as an idea entered his head.

Sebastian walked over to refill the tea cups and he spoke, “Pardon me, but, why not review Lady Cloudia’s cinematic record? I’m sure it must offer some insight….”

Undertaker grimaced.

Ciel’s eyes sparked with hope.

The bluenette seemed to like Sebastian’s idea and she looked at Undertaker with a pleading frown.

Undertaker frowned back and was silent for a moment until he grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes closed. 

“Fine!” Undertaker exclaimed reluctantly, “Very well, at risk to my position, I’ll……...I’ll look into it.”

Undertaker stood solemnly to leave and Ciel asked him, “Did you……..do you…...do you miss her?”

“If I didn’t, then what you asked of me just now wouldn’t be so painful.” Undertaker said in a voice so morose that it hurt Ciel to hear.

Sebastian looked at Ciel as Undertaker left and he saw the frown on her face……

“Kitten, it’s alright.” Sebastian said comfortingly, walking over to Ciel and laying his hand over hers.

“Is it, Sebastian?” Ciel asked with a sigh. “Is it, really?”

————————————————————

It was a warm July day in 1861 when Cloudia Phantomhive passed.

Cloudia had collapsed just after her and Undertaker had endured one of their signature, heart-wrenching arguments.

Undertaker thought it was just another seizure, but he screamed at Vincent to call a doctor when he saw the strange cup of tea and he felt Cloudia’s pulse start to wane.

By the time the physician arrived, Cloudia had no detectable pulse and her breath failed to fog the glass of a mirror placed under her nose.

Vincent and his younger sister, Francis, stood weeping in the hallway while the doctor finished filling out their mother’s death certificate.

Undertaker sat beside Cloudia, stroking her blonde hair, admiring how peaceful she looked in death.

“Terribly sorry for your loss.” The physician said formally. “Its warm outside, best we move quickly.”

Undertaker gave a silent nod.

The doctor left.

A few minutes or a few hours later, Undertaker couldn’t tell, a young reaper walked into the room with red, short, spiky hair.

“Well, number two hundred twenty-six, time to go.” Grell said as he fired up his chain saw.

“I’ll do it.” Undertaker said quietly.

“You’ll……..what?” Grell blinked.

“I’ll do it…...later. Not now, please, not now.” Undertaker said in a pained voice, hovering over Cloudia.

Undertaker couldn’t bear to see his darling wife sliced open….

“They’ll sack you if you don’t.” Grell said, crossing his arms. 

“I don’t care if they sack me.” Undertaker said sourly. “Get out, I’m busy.”

“Have it your way, then. I expect you to explain all this to William. I’m not getting my overtime cut because of you.” Grell huffed.

Undertaker barely heard him………

The next day, Cloudia was laid to rest at dawn.

Still unpopular in her adulthood, Undertaker, Vincent, and Francis made up the majority of Cloudia’s mourners.

Those few in attendance went into the chapel while the grave was dug, but Undertaker stayed beside Cloudia.

Undertaker watched every movement as the hole was dug, he watched while Cloudia was lowered inside, and he watched while the grave was filled.

Undertaker sat down at the base of a large oak tree beside Cloudia after she was buried.

And Undertaker stayed there.

For two days and two nights.

Vincent and Francis kept coming to check on their father, but Undertaker refused to move, staring at his wife’s headstone with dull eyes.

On the evening of the second day, Vincent and Francis returned once again to invite their father to come and have dinner, but to their dismay, Undertaker was gone……..

Tanaka, then a young man in his early twenties, was left to console the Phantomhive children as they now grieved both their parents.

Undertaker devoted the following years to finding a way to bring the dead back to life, not because he was evil or insane, but because for him to live, there was one amongst the dead whom he needed to see again…….

—————————————————————-

But not like this.

After leaving Ciel’s estate, Undertaker headed to Cloudia’s lonely grave.

By then, it was dark and a chilling wind was blowing, signaling the fast approaching rain.

Undertaker lied to William all those years ago.

No one ever took Cloudia’s cinematic record.

It was buried with her…….

And now Undertaker had to retrieve it.

Shovel full by shovel full, Undertaker was slick with sweat by the time he burrowed his way into the earth and reached Cloudia’s casket.

Undertaker braced himself by closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as the rain started to pour down.

With trembling hands, Undertaker reached out and pried the coffin lid open……

—————————————————————

The third morning after Cloudia was buried, a leaf blew off of the nearby oak tree and floated down to land gently on Cloudia’s grave.

Deep inside the earth, a gentle groan came from Cloudia’s throat as she gave a little cough.

Dry.

The air was dry.

It felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest and as if a board was pressed against her back…...

Cloudia opened her violet eyes and she suddenly felt very….off.

Darkness……

Complete darkness.

Furrowing her brow, Cloudia went to raise her hands and banged her arms painfully on something hard and solid.

Cloudia’s eyes widened as her feet scraped against…….

Wood.

Wood!

Cloudia’s heart instantly raced and her nails dug into the unforgiving silk lining in front of her, behind her, all around her, as she screamed through the layers of her earthly prison for someone, anyone to hear………..

“AAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!”

Bedlam was a nightmare, forced marriage was a nightmare, but what worse fate was there than to be buried alive?

————————————————————

Undertaker wrenched the coffin lid back and as the rain beat down on him and the open casket, Undertaker stared at the sight in front of him with his mouth agape.

For a moment, all Undertaker could do was see.

Undertaker saw.

Then Undertaker thought……

And then, Undertaker began to laugh……

Undertaker laughed and laughed, a wild, disturbing, cackling of joy as the rain soaked him through and through.

There were clumps of blonde hair in Cloudia’s casket that she had pulled out in panic, bloodstains on the silk casket lining where she had clawed her fingers almost to the bone.

Cloudia had been buried alive, the poor dear…..

…...But that wasn’t what struck Undertaker.

Cloudia had a full examination from one of London’s top physicians, Cloudia had a death certificate, a proper burial, and a period of mourning.

But none of that mattered, because the casket in front of Undertaker was empty.

Someone had heard Cloudia’s scream……..

Someone had pulled Cloudia from her early grave…….

Cloudia Phantomhive wasn’t dead.


	14. Chapter 14 - British Lavender

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

Somewhere off the coast of England, an odd-looking ship drifted closer and closer to London’s docks with each rolling wave………

Aboard the ship, in the ornate quarters beneath the main deck, a man in plain clothing stood in front of a woman who was elaborately dressed and seated at a heavy, mahogany desk.

“So you’re telling me it’s impossible to make it to France?” The woman snapped at the man.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but we need the supplies now! You know that as well as I do.” The man replied, trembling.

The woman put a delicate hand up to her left jaw as she replied, “Yes…..and I’m not sure I can take this pain much longer. I need to buy some lavender for my teeth. French lavender is superior, but I’ll take what I can get, I suppose.”

“Shall I send the orders, then?” The man asked.

“You may as well.” The woman shrugged. “Prepare to dock at the first available port.”

“That’ll be London.” The man nodded. 

“Don’t remind me…..” The woman warned, narrowing her eyes sharply at the man. “Run along, you have your orders!”

“Right away, Captain!” The man said with a quick bow.

The man then scurried out of the room.

“And I do hate visiting there…..” The female Captain sighed.

A strand of bright blonde hair slipped from the Captain’s tight bun.

The Captain brushed the hair out of her face as her violet eyes wandered over to the window and looked out at sea……...

—————————————————————

“Just a minute more, kitten.” Sebastian said with an exhausted sigh as he blotted himself with a clean towel.

“Sebastian…..” Ciel whimpered, trailing her bare foot up his leg from where she lay on the bed, pausing just above his groin.

Now that some time had passed and Ciel had recovered from Cedric’s arrival, Ciel’s body began to resume its normal rhythms.

Sebastian had missed Ciel for the seemingly forever period where he couldn’t make love to her, but it had been so long, he had nearly forgotten just how exhausting tending to a needy omega could be…..

“Sebastian…..” Ciel whined again, placing her other foot on his bare abdomen.

Sebastian threw the towel aside and moved to hover over Ciel, looking down at her with a predatory gaze.

“I have you, my sweet kitten~.” Sebastian smirked.

The way Ciel looked back at Sebastian, so innocent but so coy, urging him on, daring him…..

It made Sebastian want his wife even more.

———————————————————

Ciel’s hormones eventually eased, but Sebastian was a little concerned when she failed to start her menstrual cycle.

Ciel attributed it to stress, but when she asked for some lavender, chocolate, and cheese biscuits, Sebastian’s eyebrow raised.

Those biscuits were a special recipe that Sebastian had experimentally made for Ciel a few weeks before Cedric had been born….

Sebastian had barely been able to keep the biscuits in the house when Ciel was pregnant and now that she wasn’t, Ciel had to have some?

Sebastian hated telling Ciel that she’d have to wait, but there was no lavender in the Phantomhive kitchen and very little of the cheese that the biscuits used.

Ciel was clearly unhappy and Sebastian frowned when his bluenette rolled away from him that night with a scowl.

“Kitten, I’ll go into town first thing in the morning, alright? I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Sebastian cooed, kissing Ciel’s shoulder.

Ciel didn’t respond but she sighed softly and cradled Sebastian’s head as he rolled her over and began to kiss into the crook of her neck.

A moment more and Sebastian’s lips met Ciel’s……..

Sebastian’s heart began to race because he knew that a moment more and…….

Ring! Ring!

Sebastian pulled away from Ciel when he heard the telephone downstairs go off.

It was close to midnight.

Why on earth would anyone call now?

Telephones were a fairly new invention and while they could be handy, Sebastian felt the device was presently very inconvenient……..

Ring! Ring!

“Go on, then, it’ll wake the baby.” Ciel huffed.

She wasn’t going to get biscuits or Sebastian…..

Now Ciel was really unhappy.

Sebastian stood and left the room, dashing down the stairs to answer the phone in only his sleeping clothes.

“Hello?” Sebastian asked, clearing his throat as he picked up the receiver.

“Hello.” Undertaker’s voice crackled on the other end. “It’s me. I have something terribly great to say……”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes and he listened for a moment while Undertaker related his findings.

Sebastian hung up after Undertaker finished.

Sebastian blinked, wide-eyed……..

Goodness…….

What would Ciel say about this?

—————————————————————

“Alive?!?” Ciel cried a few minutes later, shocked and unbelieving as Sebastian knelt in front of her.

“That’s what he said, kitten. It appears your grandmother, Cloudia Phantomhive, is still living.” Sebastian nodded.

“Well…...where is she?!?” Ciel gasped.

“He doesn’t know, kitten.” Sebastian shook his head.

“Why hasn’t she ever come to see me?!?” Ciel spat.

“Perhaps she…..can’t?” Sebastian suggested.

Those were the wrong words to say…….

Ciel’s expression went from one of shock to one of fear. “Yes, perhaps she can’t…...Perhaps they have her! Perhaps they’ve been hurting her, torturing her like they tortured me! What if they’re hurting her right now?!?” Ciel gasped, clutching onto Sebastian.

“Then there’s nothing we can do about it tonight.” Sebastian said, standing up and sitting on the bed as he pulled Ciel into his lap.

“Sebastian…..” Ciel began.

“I’m not leaving your side tonight, the servants are all asleep and I won’t have you unprotected.” Sebastian said quickly.

“But the morning…..” Ciel whimpered.

“If it will please you, my kitten, I will work with Undertaker to find Lady Cloudia as soon as possible.” Sebastian agreed before Ciel even formally asked.

“And some lavender…….” Ciel added softly.

“And some lavender.” Sebastian chuckled, kissing Ciel’s forehead before she drifted off to sleep as he held her close.

Ciel slept and Sebastian frowned.

With splotchy records, no traceable transactions, and a past that recorded her as dead for over twenty years, finding Cloudia Phantomhive would be like looking for a needle in a haystack……..

Yes, that would be a challenge, but….

Sebastian gently stroked Ciel’s arm as he thought……..

The midwife had warned them to let a substantial amount of time pass before they tried for another child due to Ciel’s size and fragility.

Ciel had claimed that since she was still nursing Cedric, they didn’t have to worry about another pregnancy.

Sebastian glanced down at Ciel as she slept and he narrowed his eyes in concern.

Sebastian enjoyed being a father and he wouldn’t mind another member coming to join their family, but, for Ciel’s sake, Sebastian hoped that what she said was true.


	15. Chapter 15 - Odd

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

The following morning, Sebastian began his mission.

Buy lavender, make biscuits.

Find Cloudia Phantomhive.

The first was easy enough.

Every day, Sebastian went to town, bought fresh lavender, came back, fed Ciel, and continued his search.

Undertaker was looking for his wife too and he shared with Sebastian every helpful detail that he could.

Cloudia Phantomhive was a bit…..odd and spacey.

Cloudia Phantomhive had blonde hair, violet eyes, and an entire arm covered with tattoos.

Surprisingly, those were not Cloudia’s only distinct features, but they were what Undertaker felt like would help Sebastian the most in identifying her.

If Sebastian ever saw her…….

Ciel grew more troubled with each passing day, concerned about her grandmother.

To Sebastian’s relief, his omega eventually completed her cycle.

Sebastian would have loved to have more children, but he needed to make sure his family was safe first.

Much less worried, Sebastian went into town again to buy lavender, since Ciel had requested to have her special biscuits for one last morning.

Sebastian had no issues getting to London, but as he drew near the lavender stand in the market square, he was nearly knocked down by a charging constable.

Sebastian furrowed his brow and squinted.

Yes, actually, there was a large crowd right in front of the lavender stand….

Curiously, Sebastian approached, his height allowed him to look over most people’s heads and have a good view of what was going on…..

There, in front of the lavender stand, was a child.

No…....

The woman was so short and so petite, that at first, Sebastian had trouble seeing she was an adult.

The woman had very light blonde hair piled on top of her head, hanging down here and there in tight ringlets, but her dress was what caused all of the chaos.

The woman’s dress was a deep sapphire blue, with a tight bodice and shoulder straps that revealed an entire arm covered with……...tattoos.

As if that wasn’t shocking enough for the era, the skirt of her dress fanned out in a grand manner but it was missing the front panel, which revealed her legs, covered only by the tight, black trousers that did nothing to conceal her shape.

Absolutely scandalous.

“Madam! Madam! You are under arrest!” The constable cried as he pushed his way through the crowd and up to the strange woman.

Sebastian watched as the woman looked up at the constable and immediately, Sebastian was struck by the woman’s eyes.

Violet and unnaturally bright, almost cat-like in nature, her eyes were very…...odd.

The woman looked as if she was very angry, very confused, and very happy all at once.

“I’m under arrest?” The woman repeated as she paid for the lavender in her hand and took the bag from the stall’s attendant.

“You most certainly are under arrest!” The constable grunted while he furiously scribbled out a ticket, “For public indecency!”

“Public indecency?” The woman blinked, “But how can that be when the public’s already so indecent?”

“This is by order of the Crown!” The constable growled as he shoved the ticket at the woman.

“My, the crown, eh? Then it must be a very serious offense.” The woman said mockingly while the constable began to dig in his bag for some handcuffs.

“Very serious indeed, madam!” The constable fumed as he searched.

While the constable rummaged in his bag, the woman smirked and leered at him with her wild eyes. 

Gasps echoed through the crowd as she grasped the ticket between her forefinger and thumb and dropped it behind her shoulder, carelessly letting it float to the ground.

By the time the constable pulled out his handcuffs, the woman frowned at him and said, “Sorry, I’ve lost my ticket. Would you mind writing another?”

“Lost your ticket?!?!” The constable screeched, looking like he was going to explode.

The constable’s face turned red with rage and while he muttered curses under his breath and scribbled on another piece of paper, the woman pushed through the crowd and made her escape, sauntering carelessly down the street.

“Madam!” The constable shouted when he noticed she was gone. “MADAM!!!!”

But it was no use.

The crowd blocked the constable’s way, assaulting him with questions.

Blonde hair, striking violet eyes……..

An arm covered by tattoos.

Sebastian stepped back from the crowd and stealthily stalked down the street, following the woman.

There was a slim chance of running into Cloudia Phantomhive on a simple morning errand, but……there was still a chance~.

The odd woman made her way down the street and turned left, going into an apothecary.

Ring, ring.

The doorbell chirped as Sebastian followed her inside.

—————————————————————

The woman walked up and sat down at the service counter in the small, dark shop.

Sebastian watched as a clerk emerged from the back and greeted the woman, “What can I get for you today, ma’am?”

“I’d like a shot of laudanum.” The woman said quietly, laying a golden doubloon down on the table. “Please add a bit of opium, a touch of morphine, a dash of heroin, a small amount of cocaine, and one shot of ammonia.”

The clerk blinked at the woman in shock.

“Take care to mix it well.” The woman added with a smile.

“Um…….” The clerk fumbled for words. “We serve…..medicine, here, ma’am. Even for a soothing syrup or a beauty tonic, that’s quite a-“

“I need all of the medicine you’ve got.” The woman said in a voice that held desperation and pain. “I’m a very ill woman.”

“I…..” The clerk began, but the woman pressed another doubloon down on the table and the clerk’s eyes sparked at the way the solid gold piece glistened in the dim light.

That one piece of gold was more than the clerk earned in a month’s salary……..

When the clerk failed to move, the woman sighed.

Pressing a third doubloon down on the table, the woman gave the clerk a haughty smile. “I do hate waiting…..”

The clerk made his decision.

Reaching forward, he quickly scraped the gold coins off the table and nodded, “Yes, ma’am. Right away.”

The woman smirked to herself and Sebastian sat down beside of her.

The woman didn’t look over at Sebastian, but she spoke to him quietly, “Why are you following me?”

Sebastian blinked.

He was certain that she hadn’t seen him.

“I’m wondering if you’re the one I’m looking for.” Sebastian answered honestly.

“I’m certain I’m not.” The woman shrugged.

“My name is Sebastian Michaelis.” Sebastian said. “May I ask yours?”

“It’s impolite to ask a lady’s name or weight.” The woman replied.

This was going to be harder than Sebastian thought….

“Have you ever heard of the Phantomhive family?” Sebastian asked.

The woman visibly bristled at the name, but she cleared her throat and shrugged, “I’ve heard of it, I believe.”

“That’s very good.” Sebastian smiled coyly. “I work for Ciel Phantomhive, the daughter of Earl Vincent Phantomhive. I’m trying to locate a woman named Cloudia. After Earl Vincent’s murder, you see, my—-“

“My son is not dead, he’s on holiday.” The woman quickly corrected Sebastian.

Sebastian’s eyebrows raised.

So, she was admitting it, then?!?

This was Ciel’s grandmother!

“So you are Cloudia Phantomhive?” Sebastian asked quickly.

“I didn’t say that, you did.” The woman sniffed.

“Please,” Sebastian implored the woman. “We’re trying to find Cloudia to help us. The enemies of the Phantomhive family are threatening the safety of Ciel and her child and I——“

“The baby has a baby?” The woman asked, looking over at Sebastian for the first time.

“Ciel Phantomhive has a son, a small infant, named Cedric.” Sebastian nodded.

“Cedric? Time must have really passed.” Cloudia said dreamily, her gaze distancing out into somewhere far away as her medicine arrived and she drank it in a single shot. “My goodness…….what an odd thing time is.” 

Sebastian decided to play the woman’s game.

“It’s too bad that you aren’t Cloudia Phantomhive or I would invite you to come and meet little Cedric.” Sebastian said casually.

“I was called ‘Cloudia Phantomhive’ at my birth, but I’ve had so many names since I can’t tell you them all.” The woman shrugged, her gaze was intent as she looked at Sebastian. “Does that still count?”

Sebastian blinked, “Of course it does, my lady.”

“Then can I come and see the baby?” Cloudia asked with a pitiful frown.

“Yes, right away, my carriage is just down the street.” Sebastian nodded.

“Oh.” Cloudia said simply with a wry smile.

A moment later, she stood to leave and Sebastian escorted her down the street to the carriage, which was a more difficult job than it sounds, considering all of the jeers, stares, and gasps that Cloudia elicited.

Sebastian opened the carriage door, and Cloudia stepped in, then Sebastian got in behind her and closed the door.

“Vincent Phantomhive is not dead, my baby boy is not dead.” Cloudia said as the carriage pulled away.

Sebastian knew that wasn’t true, but to be polite, he just nodded.

In the light, sitting directly across from her, Sebastian got a better view of Cloudia and she was…...odd.

Cloudia was beautiful but she was extremely thin, to the point where she looked like she was starving, and she was so very small it was almost like her growth had been stunted.

Cloudia’s violet eyes were large and watery, the Victorian ideal, and the arsenic that she had absorbed into her body as a child left her with skin that seemed to glow from inside her bones, her flesh was so pale it was almost blindingly translucent.

“You say you work for Ciel, my granddaughter, Vincent’s baby?” Cloudia blinked.

“That’s right.” Sebastian nodded. “In fact, my lady, I also happen to be her husband. Cedric, our son was born a few months ago and we’ve only recently learned you were still alive, that’s why I’ve been looking for you.”

A look of hopeless despair clouded Cloudia’s fair face.

“Where are you taking me?” Cloudia asked Sebastian with a frown.

“To Phantomhive Manor, my lady.” Sebastian blinked.

A moment of silence passed and Cloudia’s chest heaved with anger.

The killer stare that Cloudia suddenly gave Sebastian made him uncomfortable.

“My lady?” Sebastian asked.

“Are you a rapist?” Cloudia asked through grit teeth.

“I beg your pardon?” Sebastian asked, furrowing his brow.

“Are you a murderer? A slave trader? What are you? Who are you?” Cloudia spat.

Perhaps Cloudia had memory problems?

Sebastian spoke again in a soothing tone.“I already told you, my lady, I am…..” 

Before Sebastian said another word, Cloudia reached into the folds of her flowing, fabulous skirt and pulled out a very large, very silver, and ornately engraved pistol.

“Vincent Phantomhive is not dead, but his child, Ciel, died years ago. That bumbling oaf Tanaka failed to protect her….What you claim as truth is a jumble of lies! That wretched house burned to the ground…...So then, Sebastian Michaelis, I’ll ask you one more time for the truth……” Cloudia cocked her pistol and held it up to Sebastian’s head, fully prepared to pull the trigger. “Who are you and where are you taking me?”

Sebastian couldn’t believe he found himself in such a predicament.

Cloudia’s information was wrong, but while what Sebastian said was true, he had no way to prove any of his claims!

Cloudia could blow his brains out and he would never see Ciel or Cedric again.

From what Undertaker had told Sebastian, Sebastian realized that Cloudia’s body was frail and her mind was very scattered.

Cloudia Phantomhive was not the person you wanted to have holding a gun to your head.


	16. Chapter 16 - Granny Grim

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

Keep her talking.

Distract her with chatter, more questions, unanswered musings.

That was Sebastian’s plan to avoid being murdered by Cloudia.

Unsurprisingly, it worked.

Cloudia’s hand trembled while she held the gun, and Sebastian wasn’t sure if that was from anxiety or something else, but thankfully, after what seemed like the longest carriage ride of Sebastian’s life, the vehicle rolled down Phantomhive driveway and pulled up to the large estate.

“We’re here, my lady.” Sebastian said with a calm smile.

Cloudia looked out the window and her eyes widened in abject horror.

“My goodness……..” Cloudia breathed. “That…..that lair of terror…...it burned…..it burned to ash…..it’s not possible!”

“Yes.” Sebastian nodded. “Remember I mentioned that Ciel Phantomhive had it reconstructed? Every detail is per-“

As Sebastian spoke, Cloudia turned the gun on herself and in an instant before Sebastian could stop her, she fired a shot directly under her jaw.

Sebastian gasped in shock and his eyes widened.

The force of the shot sent Cloudia flying backwards across the carriage seat, so Sebastian could thankfully only see from the bottom of her throat down.

Sebastian suddenly found himself gasping for breath.

Did…...Did Ciel’s grandmother really just commit suicide right in front of him?

Oh no!

How were they going to get information now?

Better yet, what was Sebastian going to tell Ciel?!

Sebastian leapt out of his seat and approached Cloudia, moving to examine the corpse.

Ciel wouldn’t know what-

“HA!” Cloudia screeched, sitting up suddenly with her head still in one piece.

Sebastian nearly jumped out of his skin from surprise.

“They’re just blanks, you fool! You thought the bullets were real all this time, eh??!?” Cloudia chuckled with joy.

To prove her point, she raised her pistol and fired directly behind Sebastian.

But Cloudia’s mind was not intact…...

Unfortunately, there weren’t only blanks in the gun.

A real bullet shot out of the barrel and shattered the carriage window behind Sebastian, sending a shower of broken glass shards spraying over both him and Cloudia.

Sebastian dove to protect Cloudia and closed his eyes.

Luckily, neither of them were injured, but Sebastian was severely irritated.

“Oops.” Cloudia said with an embarrassed chuckle, grinning sheepishly up at Sebastian. “Must have left one in……..”

“Shall we go inside, my lady?” Sebastian asked Cloudia with narrowed eyes. “I know my master will be anxious to meet you.” 

That same look of soul-wrenching despair clouded Cloudia’s bright, violet eyes.

“You want me to go in that house?” Cloudia asked.

Sebastian nodded.

“I’m afraid.” Cloudia confessed simply.

“There’s no need to be.” Sebastian said reassuringly, moving carefully to let the glass shards fall off harmlessly off of his shoulders.

Sebastian opened the carriage door and stepped out, offering Cloudia his hand. “You have my word as the guardian of the Phantomhive heir that no harm will come to you here.”

Cloudia gave Sebastian the impression that his guarantee didn’t mean much to her.

A sad frown, not unlike Ciel’s, pulled at Cloudia’s pink lips, and she pouted while she stepped out of the carriage and cautiously took Sebastian’s hand.

Together, Sebastian and Cloudia walked up to the front door and entered the house.

Cloudia flinched when she stepped over the threshold and Sebastian felt a violent shiver run through her as she clung to his arm.

Sebastian thought it would be best to find some pleasant facts to discuss.

“Every detail in this manor has been recreated perfectly, my lady. My master spared no expense.” Sebastian smiled proudly.

“So nightmares do come true…...” Cloudia said, wincing as if she were in great pain while she gazed around, “It looks just as dismal as it did many years ago.”

Sebastian frowned at Cloudia’s words but he blinked when she let go of his arm suddenly and turned, cocking her head and staring as if someone were standing in the empty hallway.

“My lady?” Sebastian asked.

“That’s odd!” Cloudia exclaimed, turning back to Sebastian. “The man with no face has always greeted me when I’ve returned. I suppose he’s unhappy that I’ve come!”

What?

Sebastian didn’t know what to say to that.

In fact, as suave and worldly as Sebastian was, Cloudia was the first guest at Phantomhive Manor that Sebastian truthfully didn’t know how to handle.

Sebastian just hoped that Ciel would have better luck than he had so far.

—————————————————————-

Sebastian let Cloudia settle in and immediately ran to inform Ciel that not only had he found her grandmother but she was in the house!

The bluenette’s eyes widened.

Ciel was happy and excited and painfully nervous all at once.

The bluenette handed little Cedric over to Mey-Rin and dragged Sebastian into their bedroom, ripping her clothes off and insisting he place her in a proper lady’s dress and that he comb her hair exactly so…...

Cloudia was a living ancestor of the Phantomhive line and that meant a lot to Ciel.

Ciel was very concerned with being the perfect vision of what a proper Victorian lady should be when she met her grandmother, but Sebastian smirked to himself while he prepared Ciel to meet Cloudia.

Sebastian was certain from his brief time of knowing Cloudia Phantomhive that properness was one of her least priorities.

—————————————————————

Settle in.

Settle…….

In…….

Cloudia sneered as she thought about Sebastian’s words while she paced around the trophy room like a caged animal.

That man, Sebastian, expected her to settle in to this house?

What an idiot.

With a sigh, Cloudia sat down in a small chair at Ciel’s chess table.

It was then that Ciel emerged from the hallway.

Ciel’s heart pounded as she looked at the back of Cloudia’s head, the first glimpse of her grandmother she saw.

Ciel was surprised…...

Cloudia had such brightly colored blonde hair for a woman of her age……

Ciel was afraid her voice would fail her but she managed to squeak out a greeting, “G-Grandmother.”

Cloudia turned around and she grinned at Ciel.

Ciel took a step backwards in shock.

Ciel was expecting something far different from what she saw…….

Ciel’s eyes darted over Cloudia and her mind was boggled.

The fluorescent skin, not aged a day past youth, with no freckles and no marks of any kind…..

The unnaturally white teeth, shining at Ciel like glass…..

The tattooed arm……

That obscene dress…….

And those eyes, wild and sad all at once, an odd shade of violet.

Ciel swallowed.

This was her grandmother?

“Vincent’s baby.” Cloudia greeted Ciel, standing from her chair and walking over to the bluenette.

Regardless of her appearance, Ciel was grateful for that moment and she put her best foot forward.

“It’s lovely to meet you, grandmother.” Ciel nodded.

“We met once before, when you were about the size of a grain sack, but you don’t remember that, do you?” Cloudia asked.

“Um, no…..” Ciel said after a pause. Anyone else would have asked that question jokingly, but after a moment, Ciel realized that it was a serious question from Cloudia. “I’m sorry, but I don’t.”

“Well, I do.” Cloudia shrugged, her violet eyes flickered to the top of Ciel’s head and she smiled when she realized that she and Ciel were the same height and build. “Finally, someone my size.”

Ciel gave her grandmother a soft smile, not really knowing what to say and then she glanced over at the chess table.

“Shall we play a game before dinner?” Ciel asked.

Cloudia shrugged and followed Ciel as she walked over and sat down at the chess table, opposite the bluenette.

“I have many questions to ask you.” Ciel said as she took the first turn.

“Why?” Cloudia asked.

“I’m afraid we’re in great danger.” Ciel said as Cloudia then took her first turn. 

“Oh?” Cloudia asked as Ciel played again.

Ciel looked up. “The enemies of Phantomhive house are still pursuing us. And I-?”

“Still?” Cloudia blinked.

“Yes….” Ciel said with a frown. “Unfortunatley, the murder of my father wasn’t enough and they’ve-“

“Your father wasn’t murdered, silly girl.” Cloudia corrected as she moved her pawns for the second time. “Who’s filled your head with these ridiculous lies?”

“This mansion burned to the ground.” Ciel frowned very seriously.

“Yes.” Cloudia nodded. “Of that, I am aware.”

“My father burned with it.” Ciel reminded her grandmother quietly.

“And that, I am aware it is a lie. Are you really Vincent’s child? You seem a tad foolish.” Cloudia asked bluntly, looking at Ciel scrupulously.

“Of course I’m Vincent’s child!” Ciel huffed. “Who on earth told you he’s still alive?!?”

“No one.” Cloudia frowned with another shrug. “I just know it to be so.”

“Really?” Ciel scoffed.

“Is dinner ready?” Cloudia asked.

“I’m not certain, shall we finish the game first?” Ciel pressed.

Ciel loved games and she was quite competitive, there was no way she was going to leave one half-played.

“You’ve already lost, my dear.” Cloudia said simply as she rose from her chair and wandered towards the hallway.

Ciel scowled and looked down at the chessboard.

Ciel’s jaw dropped open.

Her eyes widened……..

Cloudia Phantomhive may be an odd woman, dressed shockingly and spouting nonsense, but she had beaten Ciel at chess in two moves.

Ciel looked up and watched as her grandmother left the room.

Ciel narrowed her eyes.

Perhaps Ciel would end up with even more questions than before she met Cloudia Phantomhive…...

————————————————————-

Sebastian had prepared a grand spread for his wife and her grandmother.

The dining table was lined with delicious meats, savory sides, tasteful garnishes, and heaping portions of sweets.

Ciel walked into the dining room and Sebastian helped her to her seat.

When Sebastian went to assist Cloudia, though, her wild violet eyes flared and she took a step back.

“I know where the chairs are.” Cloudia said quickly.

Her tone wasn’t angry, it was almost……..

…..Defensive?

Sebastian backed up and nodded.

Certainly.

Whatever made Cloudia feel comfortable……

Cloudia stepped forward and took her own seat, a simple chair with no arms, she avoided those purposely…...

Sebastian served them both and Ciel began to eat with zeal, but Cloudia just stared down at her food.

Sebastian discreetly walked up beside of Cloudia and asked with a polite smile, “Is everything alright, my lady?”

“Do you have any potatoes?” Cloudia asked, looking up at Sebastian.

“Yes…..we have many. I’ve prepared some mashed potatoes with butter just for the evening.” Sebastian said, gesturing to the dish on the end of the table.

“I can’t digest fat.” Cloudia said quietly.

“Perhaps some green beans, then?” Sebastian asked.

Cloudia shook her head.

“A small piece of chicken?” Sebastian blinked.

“Just a potato, please, plain, nothing on it or in it.” Cloudia repeated quietly.

“Very well.” Sebastian nodded.

Ciel was still eating when Sebastian came back a while later with a perfectly baked potato and sat it down in front of Cloudia, who ate it quietly.

“I would like to show you something, grandmother.” Ciel said once they finished eating.

Cloudia nodded and the two women stood, leaving the room and walking to the parlor.

Sebastian cleared the table and as he did, he thought back………

Was a potato really the only thing out of all the food he had prepared that Cloudia Phantomhive could eat?

————————————————————

Cloudia sat on the parlor sofa while Ciel opened a small box and carefully took out something very precious.

Ciel had treasured it for many years……..

A glass comb from her great-grandmother, delicate and intricately carved.

It was beautiful.

It was old.

And it thankfully had been in Lady Francis’s keeping during the fire that destroyed the original house.

Now, Ciel had the privilege of returning that comb to her grandmother.

To think that she would have this chance…….

Ciel walked over to Cloudia and carefully placed the antique comb into her delicate hand.

“I believe this was your mother’s. I want you to have it back, it belongs to you.” Ciel said.

The bluenette didn’t smile as she sat down in the chair across from Cloudia, but her sapphire eyes were intent and it was clear that Ciel was very happy.

“Ah, Yes……” Cloudia said, gazing at the comb in her hands, “this was my mother’s, I remember it well……”

Ciel couldn’t help the small grin that tugged at her lips.

SNAP!

Ciel’s grin was wiped away when Cloudia tightened her fist around the comb and crushed it into little pieces, destroying it instantly.

Ciel watched in horror as the glass pieces dug into Cloudia’s bright flesh, drawing blood.

“Grandmother! What have you done?!” Ciel cried in angst.

“I’m dreadfully sorry, my dear.” Cloudia said with a sweet smile. “It was an accident.”

“It's still in your hand…...” Ciel frowned as Cloudia squeezed the comb even tighter.

“It’s still an accident.” Cloudia replied.

Ciel was so upset about the entire incident that she didn’t get much accomplished.

Ciel allowed Cloudia to meet baby Cedric before he went to sleep and soon, it was time for bed.

Ciel considered that perhaps it was best to let her grandmother rest before she assaulted her with questions.

But still……..

While Ciel lay in bed, waiting on Sebastian to return from showing Cloudia to her room, Ciel remained wide awake.

What was that about the comb?

Why?

———————————————————

“This was my room when I was a girl.” Cloudia commented as Sebastian showed her to one of the grandest guest rooms in Phantomhive Manor.

“Then I trust you’ll be alright here?” Sebastian asked.

“For the night.” Cloudia replied with an eerie look.

Cloudia’s mouth was smiling at Sebastian but in the candlelight, it was like her eyes were both laughing at him and screaming for help.

It was very unsettling…,,,

“Good night, then, Lady Cloudia.” Sebastian said with a smile.

“Goodnight, Sebastian.” Cloudia snickered, closing the door.

Sebastian frowned to himself as he walked back to Ciel.

Goodnight?

—————————————————————-

Finny, Mey-Rin, Tanaka, Baldroy, and Snake all lay sleeping peacefully in their beds.

Tiny Cedric snoozed in his crib.

Sebastian dozed while Ciel rested on his shoulder.

But in that distant wing of Phantomhive Manor, where that grand guestroom stood, Cloudia panted for breath from her exertion.

Taking a knife she found in the drawer of the washstand, Cloudia ripped up the carpet and sliced the wallpaper right off the walls.

With grit teeth, the original lady Phantomhive smashed every lamp, every decoration, and every object she could find in the room.

Cloudia’s knuckles were white as she carved her fingernails into the varnish of the furniture.

The bedding came next, attacking it with all the vengeance she could muster, Cloudia shredded the sheets, the pillow and the mattress.

Once that was done, Cloudia stepped back and took a breath.

Cloudia’s violet eyes fixated on the bare wall.

That same wall that had poisoned her as an infant…...

That same wall she had tried to cling to when they drug her out of her own home and into that insufferable prison……..

That same wall that laughed at her when she stagnated in that house years later, desperate once again to break free…….

“Can’t hold me……” Cloudia whispered in the darkness.

“Can’t hold me! CAN’T HOLD ME!” Cloudia shouted as she charged forward.

Using a beaten, metal jewelry box as a club, Cloudia attacked the wall, pummeling it over and over again, desperate to bring it down.

Goodnight, indeed.

The rest of Phantomhive Manor’s residents were peacefully wrapped in her dreams, but the original Phantomhive was spending her night shrouded in nightmares……….


	17. Chapter 17 - Cake?

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

Cloudia Phantomhive had been a guest in her own house for nearly a week.

“Mister Sebastian! Mister Sebastian!” Mey-Rin gasped as she dashed breathlessly down the hallway.

Sebastian stepped into view with a tray of tea and his eyebrows rose as the panicked maid ran up to him.

“Goodness. What’s wrong, Mey-Rin?” Sebastian blinked.

“Someone’s been dreadfully hurt! Come quickly!” Mey-Rin shouted, dragging Sebastian down the hallway by his sleeve.

Sebastian followed Mey-Rin out to the back of Ciel’s grand house and his eyes narrowed at what he saw.

The scene was awful.

There, early morning sunlight, the dewy grass gleamed ominously, covered in fresh blood and viscous fluids that Sebastian couldn’t identify.

“Is master Ciel alright?!” Mey-Rin squeaked. “Is the baby alright?”

Sebastian furrowed his brow before he looked at Mey-Rin and nodded. “It could have been an animal….I’m sure they’re fine. Baldroy is watching over them and Lady Cloudia, however, please allow me to make sure immediately.” 

Sebastian’s voice was as calm and stoic as ever, but he was already on his way to check on Ciel before the words finished leaving his lips.

Mey-Rin could see Finny and Snake working on the lawn across the estate grounds, so they were alright.

What on earth had happened?

—————————————————————-

“Very well. The next one, then.” Cloudia said casually as she lounged on the parlor sofa with little Cedric in her arms.

“What happened when the ship sank? How did you escape?” Ciel asked eagerly.

“Oh, that was when I met that bastard.” Cloudia said, smiling sweetly down at the baby, who looked up at his great-grandmother with curious eyes.

“Are you referring to my grandfather?” Ciel asked. “Undertaker?”

Cloudia narrowed her eyes and looked at Ciel questioningly. “That’s an odd way to refer to him….. His given name was Cedric, however to me, he’ll always be a bastard.”

“If he was so terrible then why were you with him?” Ciel asked.

Some grandmothers would have taken that question as rude, but Cloudia just shrugged. “I didn’t know he was a bastard then, not until he tried to kill me. Besides, I said he was a bastard, but I didn’t say he was ugly.”

When Undertaker buried Cloudia alive, it was a horrible mistake, a tragic accident.

But Cloudia didn’t realize that…….

“What? What do you mean he tried to kill you?” Ciel blinked, incredulously.

Over the course of Cloudia’s stay, Ciel had begun to question her grandmother at turns.

Ciel had asked Cloudia to tell her everything she knew.

Cloudia, not really knowing the best way to answer Ciel, had started at the beginning of her life story.

And Cloudia had a very long….interesting…..and …..difficult…...life story.

After five days, Cloudia had just reached the point in her narrative where Undertaker appeared and so far, Ciel hadn’t discovered anything about the enemies of the Phantomhive family.

Ciel had been certain that Cloudia’s father, the original Earl Phantomhive, had something to do with it all…..

Or, if not, then perhaps Cloudia had encountered something during the lengthy voyages of her youth to exotic lands……..

No.

Cloudia’s story was sad and exciting, but it hadn’t revealed to Ciel anything she was hoping to learn, other than family history.

Cloudia took a break and sipped her tea, which she had instructed Sebastian to enhance with just a few drops of morphine.

“It’s not even noon and you’ve already worn me out. I don’t care much for all this recollection.” Cloudia said to Ciel with an exhausted sigh.

“Please, granadmother, there must be more.” Ciel pleaded. “Your parents, you didn’t say much about them. What were they like? Did your father serve the Queen too? Were they after him? Who’s chasing us? Who wants us dead? There must be something in our legacy that shows the truth!”

Maybe there was a detail that Cloudia had forgotten to mention……..

But Cloudia just smirked at Ciel, her violet eyes lighting up with mirth.

“Have you ever seen the grand opera house in Paris?” Cloudia asked Ciel.

“Yes.” Ciel nodded.

Cloudia nodded before she went on.

“Then you know the gargoyles that sit on its top?” Cloudia asked.

“Yes.” Ciel nodded again.

“Well then, imagine one of those gargoyles in a dress and one in a suit.” Cloudia spat bitterly. “If you can do that, then you can know who my parents were and what they were like. And that is your precious legacy, my dear. No ‘they’, no tragedies, no murders. People have warped your mind with all their lies, haven’t they? Really, if it wasn’t for your hair color, I’d never believe you were Vincent’s daughter, as daft as you are.”

Cloudia gave Ciel a scathing look as she took another sip of her tea and Ciel frowned.

Ciel’s interviews with Cloudia were so painfully unsuccessful.

If Cloudia couldn’t help, then who could?

Ciel was just about to ask Cloudia another question when Sebastian suddenly appeared in the parlor doorway.

“Sebastian, what’s the matter?” Ciel asked quickly. 

The bluenette was alarmed when she saw the grave look on Sebastian’s face.

“There’s been some sort of accident by the back of the house.” Sebastian explained calmly. “I wanted to ensure everyone is alright.”

Sebastian breathed a silent sigh of relief at seeing Ciel, Cedric, and Cloudia all unharmed.

“......Sorry.” Cloudia said after a moment. “That was just my chamberpot. I thought I emptied it far enough from the door this morning.”

Cloudia refused the servants’ help, insisting to care for herself, but her confession made Sebastian’s eyes widen.

That horrifying mess was…...the contents of Cloudia’s chamberpot?

The macabre display out back looked like a murder scene.

That didn’t look like waste.

In fact, it barely looked human.

Sebastian was so shocked and so deeply concerned that he spoke before he stopped himself, “You should see a doctor, my lady.”

“A doctor?” Cloudia scoffed as she took another sip of her tea. “Actually, I’m afraid I’ve already seen far too many.”

—————————————————————

Knowing that there was no imminent danger, Sebastian returned to the kitchen, beginning his dinner preparations so early in the morning.

That night, dinner was going to be…...special.

Unbeknownst to Cloudia, at Ciel’s command, Sebastian had invited Undertaker to dinner.

Sebastian felt a strange anxiety swell in his chest as he gathered supplies for the evening meal.

On the phone, Undertaker seemed nervous but incredibly overjoyed to have the chance to see Cloudia again, but Cloudia……

Sebastian had a hunch that Cloudia may not share Undertaker’s enthusiasm about their reunion.

There would be no middle ground.

Dinner was going to go either really well or really terribly.

And it was difficult to say which outcome was more likely…….

Sebastian had quickly learned that no one ever knew what Cloudia was going to say or do.

And that was what made Cloudia so concerning.

Cloudia had succeeded in knocking a hole all the way through the wall during her first night in the manor.

Sometimes, Sebastian found Cloudia talking loudly to people who couldn’t be seen.

Other times, Sebastian heard Cloudia wandering the halls late at night, whispering to herself about “the faceless man” who apparently crept into her room and forced her to leave.

Cloudia had mentioned her childhood poisoning to both Sebastian and Ciel, and it made sense then……

The damage Cloudia had endured from the arsenic was all internal.

Cloudia’s ageless face and flawless skin hid her scattered mind and broken organs.

Sebastian soon noticed Cloudia’s drug use wasn't for recreation, it was for survival.

Sebastian often saw Cloudia wince from pain deep in her body and Sebastian also noticed the frequent habit she had of clutching her side or her chest for a moment when a particularly sharp pang struck.

The visible joints of Cloudia’s hands and shoulders would occasionally and inexplicably become red and swollen with inflammation and they seemed to be uncomfortable for Cloudia to move in any way.

Ciel noticed too and she would often ask her grandmother if she needed anything, but Cloudia would always shake her head and take another dose of whatever medicine was near.

Cloudia would casually say outlandish things that would make anyone else cringe.

And her clothes…..

Cloudia had contacted someone, whom Sebastian did not know and how he did not know either, but a trunk arrived with her clothes the day after her arrival at Phantomhive manor.

Dresses.

All of Cloudia’s dresses were bright and vividly colored, daringly cut, and sliced open in the middle, revealing her skinny legs, clothed only by thick, black leggings.

Ruffles, frills, ornate, opaque patterns……

Sebastian saw where Ciel got her penchant for flamboyant clothing from.

But still, Sebastian found that there was something threatening about Cloudia…...

Cloudia reminded Sebastian of a deranged porcelain doll.

And Sebastian was a bit uncomfortable with Cloudia being in the house….but what could he do?

Ciel wouldn’t allow Sebastian to throw her grandmother out.

Sebastian watched over Ciel and Cedric day and night, keeping Cloudia in his sights, unless he was cooking, in which case, Mey-Rin or Baldroy lurked close by, silently monitoring the situation.

Protect and defend.

It was an alpha’s instinct.

And Sebastian wasn’t daft, he hadn’t forgotten Undertaker’s advice…….

Sebastian’s top priority was to look after his family.

—————————————————————-

After lunch, Mey-Rin put Cedric down for his nap and Cloudia dozed on the couch after her afternoon dose of laudanum.

Having a free moment, Ciel walked to the kitchen to spend a moment alone with Sebastian.

The first thing Ciel noticed in the air was the delicious smell of baking chocolate.

“The cake smells good, Sebastian.” Ciel said as she walked into the kitchen.

“Kitten~.” Sebastian purred as he looked up.

“Maybe you should give me a piece early, to make sure it tastes alright.” Ciel suggested, looking up at Sebastian with hungry eyes.

“Perhaps I’m hungry too, kitten~.” Sebastian purred, coming over and wrapping his arms around Ciel’s waist. 

“Oh?” Ciel asked, leaning into Sebastian’s touch.

“What will you feed me~?” Sebastian smirked.

Ciel grabbed Sebastian’s tie and pulled him down closer.

Closer…..

Closer……

…...Closer until her lips were pressed against his.

Sebastian let out a deep purr as he happily accepted his omega’s kiss.

All of the stress of having Cloudia with them had greatly decreased Sebastian’s his time with Ciel and that certainly wasn’t making things easier.

Ciel deepened their kiss but her eyes widened when Sebastian suddenly lifted her up and sat her down on a bit of unused counter space.

Ciel smirked into their kiss, raising an eyebrow when she felt Sebastian inch his hips between her knees.

Then came the gentle touch of Sebastian’s fingertips brushing against her breasts as he began to unbutton her shirt………

“Sebastian……” Ciel breathed, raising an eyebrow as she broke their kiss.

“Hmm~?” Sebastian purred.

“We’re in the kitchen.” Ciel said quietly.

Sebastian purred when he had Ciel’s shirt completely open, exposing her breasts, then his fingers quickly began working on the button of her shorts.

“It’s the middle of the day…..” Ciel chuckled.

“And it’s the first time I’ve gotten you to myself in so long.” Sebastian said with a deep sigh. “Please, kitten……”

Ciel gave Sebastian a look, but a small smirk sat on her lips.

Sebastian looked at Ciel with a deep pout. “Maybe I can arrange that piece of cake for you after all, if you’re willing to-“

Ciel laughed and pulled Sebastian in close again by his tie and Sebastian let out a deep growl when his fingers pinched the soft flesh of Ciel’s slender hips.

The kitchen door was closed.

No one would come in……..

Probably.

Most likely.

And even if they did, they’d quickly leave once they saw that Sebastian and Ciel were quite preoccupied with each other.

Careful not to get close to the food, Sebastian finally took Ciel into his arms again, drawing sweet whimpers of pleasure from her lips while her grandmother and their son slept, blissfully unaware.

But even in the throes of pleasure, entwined in the closest way possible with his beloved Ciel, Sebastian still couldn’t escape from his thoughts.

Sebastian tried to close his eyes and focus on Ciel’s wanton cries, on the sweet smell of his omega, on the softness of her skin……

….Because something told Sebastian that night was going to be a complete disaster.


	18. Chapter 18 - Dinner is Served

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

The hours ticked by and soon, dinner time approached.

Ciel and Cloudia were already seated in the dining room when a sharp knock came on the front door.

Ciel shifted nervously in her chair while Cloudia blinked in surprise.

Sebastian felt a wave of anxiety wash over him as he dutifully left the dining room and walked over to the door.

Swinging the front door open, Sebastian was unsurprised to find Undertaker standing on the step.

Although now, the tall Shinigami looked quite different…..

Undertaker had discarded his usual, eerie, black robes for a traditional, gray suit.

Undertaker’s long, unkempt hair was tied back, revealing his face, in a most polite fashion.

Sebastian tried not to smirk when he noticed the faint scent of cologne……

“Good evening.” Undertaker said formally to Sebastian.

Sebastian could see the suspense in Undertaker’s eyes.

“Good evening.” Sebastian said with his usual polite smile. Bowing and stepping to the side, Sebastian ushered Undertaker into the house. “Do come in.”

Undertaker nodded and stepped inside.

Sebastian and Undertaker’s footsteps were both heavy with anticipation as they walked into the dining room…..

————————————————————

That walked seemed to take forever.

Finally, Sebastian arrived at the dining room door, stepping first into the room and allowing Undertaker to follow closely behind.

Cloudia was chatting with Ciel about whether or not Ciel thought the mashed potatoes had butter when she happened to look up.

Everyone in the room felt the tension as Cloudia and Undertaker, er, Cedric, met again for the first time in nearly thirty years.

Undertaker seemed like he was on the verge of tears as he gazed at his wife, a bittersweet smile on his face.

Cloudia’s eyes flashed, widening in shock at first until she comprehended what was going on, then her violet orbs narrowed to dangerous slits.

“Hello, my dearest~.” Undertaker said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Ciel so wanted that moment to be touching, but as the bluenette looked quickly back and forth between her grandparents, that hope faded.

Cloudia had many accusers, many abusers, and many torturers throughout her life, but….

From Cloudia’s point of view, she was looking right at the man who had tried his best to be her murderer, and that made Cedric the worst of them all.

“YOU!” Cloudia snarled. 

Ciel felt her heart start to race as Cloudia rose from the table, letting the chair behind her clatter carelessly to the floor with the suddenness of the motion. “I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL YOU LIKE YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!”

“Sebastian!” Ciel cried as Cloudia picked up her knife and fork and jumped right up onto the table, charging head first towards Undertaker.

Sebastian rushed forward but Undertaker put a hand out and held him back, pressing against Sebastian’s chest.

“Stay out of this, butler.” Undertaker said threateningly, giving Sebastian a glare.

The silver-haired Shinigami didn't seem frightened, even as Cloudia flew through the air headed straight for him with a malicious sneer. “This is between me and my wife.”

—————————————————————

Cling!

Clang!

Cling-clang! Cling-clang! Cling!

……….Clang!

Cloudia attacked Undertaker with everything she had, determined to carve him into small pieces.

At first it was her fork and knife, then it was a nearby sword on a wall, then a broken perfume bottle…….

The eldest Phantomhive showed no mercy as she lunged at her husband with whatever sharp object she could find.

Undertaker shouted over the noise, trying to get Cloudia to listen to his truthful story about her burial being a horrible accident.

Ciel watched Undertaker cry out his desperate, apologetic pleas of love.

But Cloudia wasn’t interested in listening.

“Sebastian, do something!” Ciel shouted desperately as she worriedly followed her grandparents from room to room, watching in horror.

“Best to just let them have it out, kitten.” Sebastian said, keeping his hands protectively on Ciel’s shoulders, standing close behind her to make sure his little omega was out of harm’s way.

Ciel looked on with sad eyes and her mouth open in terror.

Sebastian watched Cloudia’s and Undertaker’s battle closely.

What could Sebastian do?

Cloudia had no intention of stopping until Undertaker was dead and Undertaker wanted no interference, he had made that clear.

However, Sebastian did raise an eyebrow when he noticed that although Undertaker was much taller and obviously stronger than Cloudia, Undertaker made no means to attack her in return, he was merely blocking her blows.

Finally, Cloudia managed to back Undertaker against a wall with a letter opener in her hand and a demented look in her eyes.

Cloudia grinned at Undertaker and raised her knife far above his head. “Bury me in the ground like shit, will you?! Well now, I’m going to rip you apart like the bastard you are! Then I’m going to-“

Cloudia kept mumbling her threats even as Undertaker fell on his knees before her.

Undertaker could have easily saved himself, but he seemed content on being Cloudia’s victim if that’s what she desired.

As Cloudia swung the letter opener down towards Undertaker’s throat, he even inclined his head to give her better access.

Undertaker’s death scythe fell from his hand and clattered to the floor………

……..And that’s when Cloudia felt it.

The scratch that saved Undertaker’s life and quite possibly, their estranged marriage.

A small scratch, no bigger and no more serious than a paper cut.

When Undertaker’s scythe fell, it just barely scraped the surface layer of Cloudia’s fair skin on her tattooed arm, cutting a mermaid that was placed just above her wrist in half.

Cloudia’s eyes widened in horror.

Cloudia gripped her forearm as if her hand had just been severed.

“You’ve…….you’ve ruined her!” Cloudia gasped in a pained whisper, as if Undertaker had just run her through with a sword. “You ruined her…….like you ruined me!”

Sebastian blinked and Ciel frowned but Undertaker’s eyes and voice were full of sympathy.

“Cloudy, I’ve never meant to hurt you…..I never would hurt you…..My darling, let me fix her. Let me fix you. Come now, I’ve done it before.” Undertaker whispered softly.

Tears welled in Cloudia’s eyes as Undertaker reached up and gently closed his hand over his wife’s faintly wounded arm.

A long moment of silence passed and Undertaker smiled at Cloudia while she gazed at him with wild, sad eyes.

Cloudia’s violet orbs softened a little bit as she looked at Undertaker’s comforting smile…..

Ciel watched intently while Cloudia opened her hand and let the letter opener fall to the floor as Undertaker rose to his feet.

Sebastian recognized the look in Undertaker’s eyes as he picked Cloudia up into his arms as easily as if she were a doll…….

…….The eyes of a protective alpha.

—————————————————————

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Ciel asked Sebastian while they stood whispering in their room.

“I’m sure she’ll be just fine, kitten. Lady Cloudia seems to have an innate ability to recover.” Sebastian assured his wife.

Yes, Sebastian felt the psychological shock of Cloudia’s tattoo being distorted posed a far greater threat to her than the small cut on her arm.

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” Ciel asked with a frown.

Sebastian nodded. “He’ll be fine too, kitten. And if he’s not, you have to accept that that’s both their wishes.” 

Ciel frowned and Sebastian sat down on the bed and patted his thigh.

Obediently, Ciel slowly crawled onto Sebastian’s lap, sighing as his hands began to massage her neck and back soothingly.

“I wanted…..” Ciel sighed as she began to explain.

“-I know.” Sebastian said with a soft smile. “But you have to give them a moment. Let them adjust, kitten, then we can make a plan.”

“Do you think we’ll have to run?” Ciel asked.

Sebastian could hear the sadness in Ciel’s voice and it broke his heart……..

Truthfully, Sebastian didn’t know the answer.

“You don’t have to worry, kitten.” Sebastian purred, dodging Ciel’s question as he nipped at her neck. “As long as I’m here, you and little Cedric will be safe.”

—————————————————————

While Sebastian tried to soothe Ciel, the original Cedric sat in the parlor, placing tiny stitches in Cloudia’s injured arm.

Cloudia didn’t move or yell in pain while Undertaker worked, but she did watch him very closely.

“Make sure you get her hips right.” Cloudia said quietly.

“Of course, dearest. I would do nothing else.” Undertaker replied with a gentle purr.

Cloudia didn’t need stitches in her arm, but Undertaker always carried his supplies with him, and had been the easiest way to calm Cloudia down.

Cloudia seemed pleased with the care she received from Undertaker once he finished and she paused to look at her arm.

“Give it a few days and your little mermaid will be whole and beautiful again.” Undertaker promised, his eyes soft with love as he added. “But not as beautiful as you…..~.”

Cloudia frowned at his words, glancing over at Undertaker with her sharp, violet eyes, then back at her arm.

“Cloudy,” Undertaker said, daring to reach out and take her hand.

“Are you angry to see that I’m still alive?” Cloudia spat.

“No…...I’m overjoyed.” Undertaker said with an innocent, happy smile. “I’ve missed you so much! All these lonely years, I’ve looked for a way to bring you back to me.”

“And all these years, I’ve looked for options to get farther away from you.” Cloudia huffed.

“I love you, Cloudy.” Undertaker whispered.

Cloudia, despite all of her resentment and rage, clearly still had some feelings left for Cedric, because when he spoke, she looked over at him with tears pooling in her bright eyes.

“I love you so very, very much.” Undertaker vowed, gripping Cloudia’s hand tightly as he leaned in………..

Cloudia closed her eyes as Undertaker pressed his lips against hers and she put her tattooed, stitched arm around his neck as they fell backwards on the parlor sofa together.

Musings rattled in Cloudia’s mind even as Undertaker’s wandering hands began to distract her.

Maybe her premature burial had been an accident……….

Or, maybe it hadn’t and she was right and Cedric was a bastard after all.

Regardless, Cloudia’s memory had served her well.

Cedric was just as handsome as she remembered~.


	19. Chapter 19 - Right?

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

A month after Francis Phantomhive was born, Cloudia and Undertaker threw a celebration at their home to customarily introduce their daughter to English society.

Polite conversation, gentle chuckling, and the sounds of social mingling filled Phantomhive manor that afternoon.

One particular party attendant though, did not engage in the happy chatter. 

A man dressed in black, with short, black hair and shining spectacles frowned at Cloudia, little Vincent, and baby Francis from all the way across the room.

“She’s perfect isn’t she?” Undertaker asked the man, with a happy purr in his voice and a loving smile on his face.

“Disgusting.” The man replied, giving Undertaker a piercing look. 

Undertaker frowned at the man, pleading with him as he walked out of the large room. “William, please, just listen to-“

“You’ll pay for what you’ve done one day, Cedric.” William T. Spears murmured as he quickly left the Phantomhive estate.

The frown stayed on William’s face while he headed back to his office and Undertaker watched Cloudia and the children carefully.

Their lives were an illusion of domestic bliss…….

…...But Undertaker knew that illusions couldn’t last forever.

————————————————————-

Cloudia was exhausted an hour into the party, finding herself sitting around a group of her fellow noblewomen.

Cloudia didn’t care for any of the people in the room and likewise, none of them cared for Cloudia.

Everyone had come to the Phantomhives’s party out of pure obligation.

“My, how astonishing it is that someone like you could know the joys of family life!” Lady Cullingsworth quipped, a prominent wife of a wealthy Viscount, while she leered maliciously at Cloudia and tiny Francis.

Lady Cullingsworth spoke the words as if they were ordinary and polite but Cloudia felt the hate behind what the other woman’s phrasing truly meant.

You're not like us.

You’re damaged.

You’re not good enough.

You’re practically less than human in our eyes.

Your entire life is nothing but a spectacle to gawk at.

Lady Cullingsworth and her friends who sat in the group then proceeded to share a great laugh at Cloudia’s expense.

Instead of frowning though, Cloudia smiled and joined them, cackling along with them as if her troubles and her children were all a great joke.

However, once their laughter calmed down, the look in Cloudia’s violet eyes changed to one of pure mirth.

Cloudia hated the aristocracy and everyone in it, but she knew everyone and everything about it quite well.

Listening…..

Reading…..

Watching……

Cloudia had a lot of mental and physical issues, but Cloudia wasn’t stupid.

These people hadn’t come to her and Cedric’s home to admire their family, they had come to mock.

Who did these people think they were?

……..Did it matter?

To Cloudia, they were no one, and she was growing irritated with the lot of them.

Lady Cullingsworth may have lunged first, but Cloudia decided she would deliver the finishing blow……

“Strange, indeed,” Cloudia remarked to the haughty woman across from her, whose cheeks were still flushed from her rude laughter. “How one like me could have a family, while a woman of your fine health still has empty rooms and silent halls.”

Lady Cullingsworth narrowed her eyes at Cloudia.

Yes, Lady Cullingsworth had been married longer than Cloudia but had failed to produce any children with her husband, the Viscount.

So what?

It was certainly a sore spot, although it was the truth.

But Cloudia knew why and that was her real weapon.

Cloudia laughed again as she spoke. “Perhaps if your husband spent more time in your bed and less time in the doorman’s, then that may change.”

The other women gasped and Lady Cullingsworth’s eyes widened.

Cloudia just gave them a friendly smile as she continued to address Lady Cullingsworth, “I’d be happy to give you some lessons if you like. How dreadfully dull you must be for the Viscount to seek affection in another man’s arms!” 

That was the truth that no one was supposed to know.

Lady Cullingsworth’s eyebrows rose and her face turned blood red with rage and humiliation.

All around her, the other ladies in her entourage hurriedly whispered amongst themselves.

Cloudia quickly reached her hand out and took a sip of her tea to hide the triumphant smirk that refused to leave her lips.

That was one of Cloudia’s many talents.

Speaking truths that no one wanted to hear…..

—————————————————————

That same triumphant smirk crossed Cloudia’s lips again, years later, as she sat in the parlor with Ciel and Sebastian, the morning after her reunion with Undertaker.

“Please stop speaking nonsense and say something helpful.” Ciel hissed, narrowing her eyes at her grandmother.

“Very well.” Cloudia shrugged. “.....Something helpful.”

Ciel made a noise of frustration and leapt up from the parlor sofa, stomping out of the room.

“My son is alive!” Cloudia called after Ciel. “Let’s leave this place and go find him! That’s what you need to do, my dear!”

Sebastian frowned at Lady Cloudia after Ciel had stormed off.

Lady Cloudia stared back at Sebastian.

“My son is alive.” Cloudia said very intently to Sebastian.

“My lady, surely you must realize that’s not true.” Sebastian said quietly.

Cloudia paused for a moment and thought, then she shrugged and nodded. “As you say, then…...please take me to his grave. Show me his body so that I can mourn.”

Sebastian frowned at the circumstances regarding Vincent’s death.

“I’m afraid I cannot, my lady.” Sebastian replied quietly.

“Of course you cannot.” Cloudia sniffed. “Because my Vincent’s not dead.”

Sebastian sighed and put a gloved hand to his face.

For a long time, Sebastian hadn’t believed there could be anyone more stubborn than Ciel.

What a silly notion that had been……

Cloudia spoke suddenly and broke the silence, surprising Sebastian with the gentleness in her voice.

“The night my son was conceived, he appeared to me, as a man, in my dreams. I asked who he was and he told me. Every night until his birth I saw him, because he was living there, in the place where we aren’t. No one believed me then, that he was alive...But I knew…...And as soon as he was born, I never saw him in a dream again. I haven’t seen him since. That’s how I know that he’s still alive.” Cloudia revealed.

Sebastian took his hand away from his face and blinked at Cloudia, listening closely.

Cloudia raised her chin and boldly declared to Sebastian, “If my son was dead, Mr. Michaelis, then he would have told me so himself.”

—————————————————————

Ciel went to fume in her office and Undertaker came in a few minutes later.

“You didn’t knock.” Ciel spat.

“The door was open.” Undertaker replied.

Ciel grit her teeth. “Well? Clearly you want to say something…...Out with it, then.”

“I’m leaving.” Undertaker said quietly.

“You’re…..what?” Ciel narrowed her eyes.

“I’m leaving to find your father.” Undertaker said quietly.

Ciel’s eyes widened. “Surely you don’t believe this madness too?!? Surely-“

“She is your grandmother.” Undertaker said warningly, reminding Ciel to stay respectful.

“That may be.” Cie huffed. “But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s a raving lunatic!”

“I’ll send word when I can.” Undertaker said, ignoring Ciel’s statement as he turned to leave the room. “If anything happens while I’m gone, run, hide, but whatever you do, don’t try to fight.”

“Don’t try to fight what?!” Ciel called after Undertaker.

Undertaker remained silent as he walked down the hallway.

“Don’t try to fight who?!” Ciel screamed, trying to get a response.

In the resounding silence, Ciel slammed her fist down on her desk.

Why couldn’t she get an answer out of anyone?!

Ciel unclenched her teeth and closed her eyes.

Mad.

They were both mad, that was all.

It was a miracle that Vincent or Francis had survived to adulthood under their care.

Ciel’s frown turned into a pout as a silly, whimsical hope tickled the strings of her heart with its enticing appeal…….

No.

Impossible.

There wasn’t anyway that Vincent had survived…..

…….Right?


	20. Chapter 20 - Fear

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

And that was that.

A new, anxious normal descended upon Phantomhive manor.

Undertaker began his search to supposedly find Vincent.

Cloudia, seeming to be completely pacified by her reunion with Undertaker, skipped around the manor, playing with her own delusions.

Sebastian did his best to look after his family and Ciel attempted to care for Cedric, using the baby as a distraction so as not to drive herself mad ruminating over the family mysteries that seemed to deepen by the second.

One afternoon, though, that nervous peace threatened to be shattered by the sudden and unexpected arrival of Grell Sutcliff and William T. Spears.

Ciel had been walking through the gardens with Cloudia.

Upon reentering the house, neither of the Phantomhive women expected to see the two reapers sitting on the parlor sofa while Sebastian served them tea.

“Earl Phantomhive, we’ve been waiting for you.” William said calmly, looking at his Ciel with his cold gaze.

“But we haven’t been waiting for YOU! BASSY, save us from that horrible woman!” Grell cried, leaping to jump into Sebastian’s arms at the sight of Cloudia.

Sebastian suavely swerved just in time and managed to let Grell fall on his bottom in the floor.

“I beg your pardon, but neither of my ladies are any threat to you.” Sebastian said snidely while he polished an unused spoon on the tea cart.

“Don’t speak of things that you don’t know, Michaelis.” William said in a low, dangerous voice.

That was when Sebastian looked up and saw the intense gaze that Cloudia was sharing with William.

The hatred was almost tangible.

“Get out of my house.” Cloudia commanded William and Grell without hesitation.

“We’re looking for Cedric. What a shock to see you instead.” William said, ignoring Cloudia’s wish while Grell whined and tried to grab onto Sebastian’s pant leg.

“What a coincidence.” Cloudia smiled in her eerie way, her violet eyes lighting up. “I believe Cedric’s avoiding you. I certainly don’t blame him for that.”

William made a small, grunting noise in his throat as if Cloudia had just spoken a bunch of ridiculous jibberish.

“Come along, Grell.” William said, bending down and dragging Grell away from Sebastian by the collar of his shirt.

“Bassy! Run! That terrible woman! She’s a killer! She’s a monster!” Grell called as William hauled Grell off.

Sebastian tried not to grimace in disgust when William finally pried Grell out the door and closed it behind them.

“Do you know those men?” Cloudia asked Ciel urgently. “Have you seen them before?”

“Yes.” Ciel nodded. “I’ve seen them many times. Why do you ask?”

“Ah, so they’ve come back….” Cloudia grinned.

“What do you mean they’ve come back?” Ciel frowned.

“Those two….all of them......no one’s ever liked me, but they don’t like me at all and they liked my children even less.” Cloudia said thoughtfully as she laid down on the sofa and placed her hands over her abdomen.

Ciel was intrigued.

Those two.

William and Grell?

All of them.

Did that……….mean something…….?

“You mean…...they don’t like our family? The Phantomhives?” Ciel asked, kneeling in the floor beside her grandmother. “Is someone paying them?”

Cloudia waved her hand at Ciel in irritation. “Oh, stop your nonsense! ‘Phantomhive’ this, ‘Phantomhive’ that! We’re not unicorns, you imbecile! There’s really not anything to us, we’re just people like anyone else. Stop looking for things that aren’t there.”

Ciel furrowed her brow, “I don’t understand…..you just said they have it out for us, clearly that means….”

“Clearly that means nothing about US! Do you think they cared about my parents?! Or their parents before them?!” Cloudia raged, growing annoyed with Ciel. In her rage, Cloudia sat up off the couch to make her point known to her granddaughter in no uncertain terms. “They had no problem with us at all until after that bastard and I ran off together!”

Oh………..

There it was.

Finally, Ciel had coaxed the truth from Cloudia.

Cloudia’s statement hit Ciel like a blow to the head.

Ciel was paralyzed with realization.

Why had she not guessed long ago?

Cloudia was just a woman.

Undertaker, Cedric, was a…………

The other reapers had not been happy when he disobeyed orders and saved Cloudia.

The other reapers had been even less happy when he had chosen to take Cloudia as his bride and start a family with……….an ordinary woman.

Ciel felt her arms tremble.

Finally, there were names and faces to attach to the crimes committed against her family……

It hadn’t been the Phonenix society.

It hadn’t been the criminals of the London underworld.

It hadn’t been another jealous noble.

It had been the reapers all along.

Ciel shakily stood up and walked out of the parlor to stand in the hallway for a moment.

Confused, Cloudia watched from the parlor as Ciel put her hands up to her face.

Everything from Vincent’s death to Ciel’s very existence, was because the reapers had interfered in one way or another.

“What’s wrong with you?” Cloudia asked Ciel bluntly, narrowing her eyes at the bluenette.

“......Why didn’t you just tell me?” Ciel asked in a hushed whisper so she wouldn’t lash out at her grandmother in anger.

“Tell you what?” Cloudia blinked.

Ciel lost her patience.

The bluenette turned on her heel and faced Cloudia furiously. “That they were behind everything! That they burned my home to the ground! That they killed my father! That-“

“There you go with that again!” Cloudia shrieked at Ciel in return. “You silly little nitwit! MY SON IS NOT DEAD! I burned this house to the ground! I burned it! So they wouldn’t get to my Vincent first! Where he is now, I don’t know, but as I told your dear husband, he’s certainly not dead! Tanaka was supposed to watch over you….when I heard he bungled the job, I was certain-“

“You burned the house?” Ciel interrupted Cloudia in disbelief.

“To the very last ash.” Cloudia said with a proud smile.

Ciel fell silent for a moment.

“I had no choice.” Cloudia shrugged. “They had to think you were all dead.”

Ciel paused and then she looked as if she were thinking very hard as she spoke, “But……….they know I’m not…….and I’m still here. Why haven’t they just…..finished me?”

Cloudia shrugged. “Perhaps they’re just waiting for the right time.”

Ciel frowned. “How have they never found father? If he is alive…..they know where everyone is…….where anyone is…….how could he have stayed hidden all this time?”

Cloudia put her index finger to her lips as she pondered over Ciel’s words.

Ciel sighed and spoke in a distraught voice, “I wish all this uncertainty and fear would just go away.”

Cloudia’s eyes widened.

Fear!

Ciel watched as the expression on Cloudia’s porcelain face changed from confusion to one of unbridled joy.

Cloudia laughed in spite of herself as if there was a great, happy revelation that had just been shown to her.

“Is there something I’m missing?” Ciel scowled.

Cloudia giggled with joy and grasped onto Ciel’s shoulders.

“I know, now…….I know why…..I know where my Vincent is! …..well, if I don’t, she will!” Cloudia laughed.

“Who?” Ciel asked with narrowed eyes.

“Fear, of course! Fear was my best friend when I was a girl! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it yesterday! Get me some parchment! I need to send a message to Bedlam immediately.” Cloudia said, snapping her fingers at Ciel.

“......what?” Ciel blinked.

“Parchment!” Cloudia said excitedly, waving her arms at Ciel. “I need parchment straight away!”

————————————————————

Throughout her life, Cloudia, like Ciel, had greatly depended on the kindness of those close to her for survival.

For Cloudia, that had never been truer since her days at Bedlam.

And it seemed that, in an ironic sort of way, Cloudia’s son had ended up doing the same.

Word of mouth travels quickly, but written word passes even more quickly from one hand to another.

That very night, Cloudia’s hastily scrawled message found itself taped to the underside of a dingy bowl on a filthy food tray as it was carried by a guard down a long, cavernous hall deep under Bedlam Asylum.

The guard carrying the tray was very young and very new to his job.

It was only his third day.

As a cruel initiating joke, the young guard’s superiors had ordered him to deliver the evening meal to room one.

No guard at Bedlam wanted to be sent to room one.

Doctors were not allowed to see the patient in room one.

But this new, young guard didn’t fully understand why, not yet…….

Still, thinking about the stories he had heard from his peers, the guard’s arms trembled as he clutched onto the tray white knuckled.

Far too soon, the guard came to the end of the long, dark tunnel and found himself standing in front of a massive, steel door.

Shaking in his limbs, the guard bent down and raised the small lever at the bottom of the door and slid the tray underneath.

There was a bowl of porridge, a small cup of something that was meant to be pudding, and a rather squalid piece of fruit on the tray, along with some silverware.

The guard’s eyes widened as he heard the slight sound of movement from the other side of the door.

A second later, the pudding bowl was politely slid back out on top of the tray.

“Vanilla.” A quiet female voice rang out in the stillness of the dark, dirty tunnel.

The pudding was strawberry, but room one’s resident had specifically requested vanilla.

Room one’s resident was not pleased.

The order would have to be corrected.

The guard cleared his throat and tried to use his most authoritative voice, “There isn’t any vanilla left.”

Room one’s resident didn’t say anything else.

The silence was chilling.

It was just then that the guard noticed a roach on the floor.

Two roaches……

Three…...

The guard’s eyes widened as a swarm of teeming cockroaches swelled before him, running up his legs, over his chest, across his arms, up his neck to his face…….

More and more roaches poured into the tunnel, capturing the guard up in a wall of disgusting pests.

Teeming, racing bugs began to gnaw at the guard’s hands and face, running down his throat, pushing their antennae into his eyes, threatening to devour him whole….....

“AAAAGGHHHHH!” The guard cried out in horror and anguish before he was completely consumed by the swarm.

Then there was silence again.

The guard was panting for breath and soaked in a cold sweat when he realized that he was alone there in the tunnel, outside of room one.

There wasn’t a single cockroach in sight.

The guard heaved for breath while he processed what had just happened…...

Out of nowhere, after the guard had a moment to recover himself, that same, female voice from room one reminded him slowly what she wanted him to do, “..........Va-nil-la.” 

With a small, cowardly yelp, the guard took off running down the tunnel back towards the kitchen.

As terrified as the guard was to return, he was even more frightened about what would happen to him if he failed to deliver the vanilla pudding!

From the other side of that heavy, steel door came the gentle clink of silver against silver as the woman who lived in room one ate her porridge while she waited for her vanilla pudding.

Once room one’s resident was finished, her elongated fingers accidentally brushed against the small piece of parchment.

Tearing the tape, slowly, those elongated fingers unfolded the parchment that contained Cloudia’s message.

A grin lit up the woman’s pink lips as she read over the note. “Ah, Cloudy…….how long has it been?”

A nostalgic smile lit up the woman’s face as she looked up at something, or someone, across the room and shrugged. “My, it seems our time together grows short~. Your mother‘s finally coming to get you. I was afraid all this time that she was dead, now she’s coming here! How odd will that be?!”

But no answer came from the person that room one’s resident addressed.

Room one’s resident preferred it that way.


	21. Chapter 21 - How this Looks

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

After Cloudia sent her message, she immediately demanded that Sebastian take her to Bedlam the following morning.

Demanding to go to Bedlam…….

…..That was certainly something that Cloudia Phantomhive never imagined herself doing. 

Sebastian agreed but Ciel frowned.

The bluenette felt excluded and quickly imposed herself, declaring that she would come along.

Cloudia didn’t sleep at all that night, too excited by the promises of seeing her old friend again and possibly finding her precious Vincent.

By the next morning, after Sebastian had Ciel up and dressed and little Cedric was bathed and fed, playing happily in Mey-Rin’s arms, the couple found Cloudia sitting inside the carriage.

Sebastian and Ciel blinked at Cloudia in surprise when they opened the carriage door.

“Well, come on, then!” Cloudia said irritably, waving her hand. “Hurry up!”

—————————————————————

The road to Bedlam was very, very long.

The asylum was positioned far away from the majority of society and Ciel was beginning to wonder if they had taken a wrong turn or not when the carriage finally clattered onto Bedlam’s aged, cobblestone driveway.

Ciel half expected her grandmother to look afraid, or melancholy, or saddened, but Cloudia just looked excited.

In fact, Cloudia pushed past Sebastian and Ciel to be the first one out of the carriage.

Cloudia then promptly scurried up the steps to Bedlam’s door with her granddaughter and grandson-in-law following closely behind.

Cloudia pushed Bedlam’s heavy door open and strode boldly up to a male orderly that stood in the filthy foyer, sweeping the floor with a dusty broom.

“May I help you, madam?” The orderly asked, looking up from his work.

Ciel clutched onto Sebastian’s wrist while they stood behind Cloudia.

“I want to know……” Cloudia said to the man with a wide grin. “Does Fear still live at Bedlam Asylum?”

The orderly gave Cloudia a dark laugh and flashed her a chilling, snagged toothed grin. “Oh madam,” the orderly said slowly, “Fear will always live at Bedlam Asylum.”

The orderly pointed down a hallway and Cloudia hastily began walking in that direction, picking up her pace more and more as if someone were chasing her.

Sebastian grabbed Ciel’s hand and quickly pulled her along behind him.

Before they left the room, though, Ciel narrowed her eyes and glanced around.

Suddenly, Ciel felt a great deal of respect for her grandmother.

Five years.

Cloudia had lived in Bedlam for five years during her youth.

The room was dirty and smelly and completely devoid of hope, the entire ambiance seemed to weigh heavily on Ciel, and it was as if a terrible pressure placed itself on her chest.

And this was just the foyer………..

The foyer was meant to be the nice part of the asylum.

Ciel had gone through abuse and trauma herself, but not for five years.

Ciel frowned while she looked at her grandmother as they marched down the hallway.

Silently, Ciel vowed to have more patience with Cloudia in the future.

Surely, Cloudia must be wrong.

Everyone must be wrong.

Ciel held on tightly to Sebastian while Cloudia routed them through seemingly endless rows of cold cells crammed with all manner of doomed, tortured souls.

The people inside those cells bore the marks of their treatments, shuffling around aimlessly while they crouched in unimaginable living conditions…….

At that moment, Ciel almost hoped her father was dead.

Surely death would be better than living in a place like Bedlam…….

—————————————————————

At last, Ciel and Sebastian followed Cloudia to the end of a dark, dingy tunnel.

Cloudia came to a halt right in front of a massive steel door.

Ciel frowned at her grandmother.

Was this…..it?

Had they finally reached their destination?

“Hello?!” Cloudia called out. “It’s me! I wrote to you! Remember?? Let me in!!”

For a moment, there was only silence but Sebastian and Ciel exchanged a glance when a jovial female voice answered Cloudia, “Silly, silly Cloudy! You can come in anytime you like, you know that!”

“Put it down!” Cloudia laughed, placing her palms flat on the steel door. “ I don’t care if it’s not real, put it down!”

Cloudia and the voice on the other side of the door were giggling with each other like giddy school girls and Ciel furrowed her brow.

Ciel reached her hand out slowly and placed her own palm against the steel door, feeling the cold, smooth metal against her skin.

Ciel did, at least, until she blinked and the door was gone.

Ciel’s mouth fell open in surprise.

Sebastian looked on in disbelief as Ciel’s hand fell through thin air and he reached forward, catching his omega as she stumbled in shock.

The door was just there, Ciel had felt it.

It was real!

How had the door vanished?!

However the door’s removal had happened, its disappearance allowed Cloudia, Sebastian, and Ciel to see what and who was on the other side……..

On the other side of the door, there was a room that was as dark and as cavernous as the tunnel, complete with a bed, a desk, a sofa, and a chair.

The room was tidy, but there were stacks and stacks of books all around it.

On the sofa in the room, sat a woman in her sixties, about Cloudia’s age, although she didn’t look as youthful as Ciel’s grandmother.

In fact, the woman on the sofa was fairly nondescript.

The woman had an average build, average height, mousy brown hair, along with standard green eyes, and she was dressed in a brown plaid dress with her hair in a neat, plain bun on the top of her head.

The woman wasn’t ugly but she wasn’t beautiful either.

Actually, the woman’s outward appearance was rather…..forgettable.

“Fear!” Cloudia shrieked with joy, hurriedly running over to embrace her friend with open arms.

Cloudia didn’t seem the least bit bothered or surprised by the door.

Ciel and Sebastian looked on as Cloudia reunited with her dear chum.

“Oh, Cloudy!” The woman called Fear said as she rose from the sofa and clutched Cloudia close. “How long has it been?”

“More than a year!” Cloudia said as if a year was a very long time, although it had been decades since she had last seen her friend. Then Cloudia concentrated very hard and added in a serious voice, “But I’m fairly certain it’s been less than a century……”

“Yes, I am too.” Fear said with a knowing smile as if she were talking to a small child.

Sebastian cautiously stepped into the room and Ciel cowered behind him, clutching onto his tailcoat.

“Oh? Who’s this?” Fear asked. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing friends, Cloudy.”

“This is my granddaughter.” Fear said gesturing to Ciel. “And this is her husband.”

“Ah.” Fear said, eyeing Ciel and Sebastian. “Come for a reunion then, eh?”

Ciel felt her heart flutter with hope.

A reunion?

“Is he here? Do you have my Vincent?” Cloudia asked Fear with a frown.

“Yes, he is and yes, I do.” Fear said casually. “He’s right there, Cloudy, look.”

Fear gestured over to the corner of her dark room and Cloudia’s violet eyes widened along with Ciel’s.

There, in that damp, dirty corner of the room lay Vincent Phantomhive on a ragged mattress, his eyes closed and his chest appearing to be still.

Cloudia’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as she sank to her knees.

There was her proof.

It was true.

“He’s dead!” Cloudia moaned, raking her fingernails down her cheeks in anguish. “My poor Vincent’s dead!”

“He’s not dead, Cloudy!” Fear scolded Cloudia. “He’s asleep! I had no choice, of course…...when he was brought here, he kept talking so much and eating all of my pudding…...and I didn’t know how long he was going to stay…..so I just put him to sleep.”

“Father……” Ciel breathed, taking an unstable step forward.

Sebastian put his hand down on Ciel’s shoulder and held her in place for a moment.

Sebastian understood Ciel’s desire to run over to Vincent, but Sebastian felt his instincts stir...and his priority, even above Ciel’s happiness, was to protect his little omega.

Sebastian was not fond of the situation and he was even less fond of Fear.

Cloudia was insane and Sebastian was fairly certain that Fear was a fraud.

Vincent’s chest was still and his skin was unnaturally pale.

Sebastian didn’t believe Cloudia and he certainly didn’t believe Fear.

No, Sebastian could see that Vincent Phantomhive was unarguably dead.

What loons these two women were……

Cloudia’s friend had been guarding a corpse.

Sebastian took it upon himself to expose the truth, it may hurt Ciel, but she would find out sooner or later, and he was tired of Cloudia giving his wife false hope.

“So Lord Phantomhive has been sleeping for over a decade?” Sebastian asked, the smirk in his voice cutting the air.

“Yes.” Fear answered Sebastian with a confident nod.

“And no one’s ever looked for him here before?” Sebastian grinned, thinking he was going to expose Fear for what a fantastical liar she was.

“As long as he stays with me, no one ever will.” Fear snipped, eyeing Sebastian.

Sebastian locked gazes with Fear and she smiled. “Is that doubt I hear in your voice, Mister……?”

“...Michaelis.” Sebastian nodded. “Sebastian Michaelis, madam. I don’t mean to come across as rude, but surely you can understand how this must look.”

Sebastian had a point.

What was there, about the entire scenario, for him or Ciel to trust?

Fear just smiled.

Many fell victim to the mischief and the mayhem that Fear could cause, but alphas had always been some of her favorite toys.

“Most people are placed here because of how they think, Mr. Michaelis.” Fear said to Sebastian, explaining patiently. “But I was placed here because of how I can make others think.”

Sebastian’s facial expression remained unchanged.

“That’s alright, don’t worry about him.” Cloudia interrupted with a shrug. “Wake my son, Fear.”

“Just a second, Cloudy.” Fear said, holding up her hand. “Tell me, Mr. Michaelis, what do you fear? What makes you uncomfortable?”

“I don’t have any fears, madam.” Sebastian replied with an arrogant smirk.

“Of course you don’t.” Fear said with a coy smile. “A strong, handsome alpha like yourself…….and this, Cloudia’s granddaughter, is your wife?”

“Yes.” Sebastian said with a proud purr, his hand still on Ciel’s shoulder. “This is my mate, Ciel.”

Fear let out a low chuckle as she glanced at Ciel, then back at Sebastian, “Are you quite sure?”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Fear before his attention was turned to Ciel when she flinched out of his grasp and took a step backwards.

“Who are you?” Ciel asked, looking at Sebastian in confusion.

“Kitten?” Sebastian blinked.

“Who are you? Tell me at once. Why were you touching me just now?” Ciel demanded, taking another step backwards.

“Kitten, it’s me. What are you……” Sebastian stepped towards Ciel, looking aghast until he realized what was going on, then he turned his head to stare daggers at fear. “........talking about?”

“Why are you calling me that? I’ve never seen you before in my life.” Ciel said to Sebastian with a scowl.

Fear crossed her arms and smirked at Sebastian. “Is that really your mate, Mr. Michaelis? Or are you some kind of pervert who’s captured a young girl? Honestly, she seems to not know you and I don’t mean to appear rude, but surely you must understand how this looks~.”

The triumph in Fear’s voice was one of the most grating sounds Sebastian had ever heard.

Sebastian grit his teeth. “Leave my omega alone, she’s no enemy of yours.” 

“Fear, stop playing around!” Cloudia shouted eagerly. “Wake my son!”

Fear let out a sigh as Ciel stumbled back against the cold, stone wall and shuddered.

The bluenette put a hand up to her temple and closed her eyes. 

Sebastian found it difficult to swallow as he waited for Ciel to let her hand fall away.

Would she…….

“Sebastian!” Ciel gasped in a shuddering breath.

“Kitten!” Sebastian cried as he rushed forward and caught Ciel in his arms. “Kitten, it’s me! How could you forget me?!l”

“What are you talking about?” Ciel asked. “I could never forget you, Sebastian. What’s the matter with you?”

“Would you like to see more, Mr. Michaelis?” Fear asked in a dark chuckle.

Sebastian wisely kept his silence but he still glared over at Fear.

Fear just smirked at Sebastian in return.

What a rare occurrence.

Sebastian had been wrong.

Fear was much more monstrous than she looked.

And perhaps more useful……..

Sebastian couldn’t help but be amazed as Ciel and Cloudia looked on while Vincent Phantomhive stretched where he lay and his eyelids began to flutter.

Fear was neither a liar nor a fraud.

Cloudia may have suffered from delusions and hallucinations but she spoke truths as well…,.

Vincent Phantomhive was alive.

“There’s people chasing my Vincent, Fear.” Cloudia said in a soft voice to her friend while she watched Vincent slowly regain his consciousness after years of slumber.

“I know. I was told that’s why he was placed here with me to begin with.” Fear replied.

“But there’s still people chasing him, Fear!” Cloudia pleaded.

Imploringly, Cloudia glanced over at her friend, “If only you’d come with us……..”

“No.” Fear said quickly. “Absolutely not. Cloudy, you know how many doctors I had to straighten out to get this room, and you know I like it here. This is paradise for me! The sun hurts my head and I hate the sound of chatter. I shan’t leave!”

Cloudia frowned.

Fear had always been good to her, a genuine friend……..

And Fear was very powerful.

“However…..” Fear mused, “If you can send your pests here, to me somehow, if you can deliver them in a nice little package, I may be able to …...redirect their trains of thought~.”

Cloudia grinned as Vincent sat up.

In a very undignified leap, Cloudia Phantomhive threw her arms around Fear’s neck and hopped up and down, “Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!”

Sebastian let go of Ciel but Ciel didn’t even notice……..

Ciel was staring straight ahead at her father and he squinted his eyes open in the dim light of the room.

“Father?” Ciel asked breathlessly, feeling like her heart would leap out of her chest.

Vincent Phantomhive was confused and disoriented, but even in the grim surroundings, he was certain he was looking at…….

“Ciel?” Vincent asked, his low, noble voice rumbling from his chest. “Is that…..really you?”


	22. Chapter 22 - Will be

Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!  
—————————————————————

For the moment, those were all the words that Ciel and her father exchanged.

Vincent was dazed and confused, hungry and thirsty.

Cloudia, Ciel, and Sebastian quickly helped Vincent Phantomhive to his feet.

Leaning on Sebastian, Vincent hobbled out of Fear’s dark room.

“Thank you.” Cloudia whispered to Fear as they walked past.

“Only for you, Cloudy…...” Fear said with a gentle smile as she sat back down on the sofa and opened one of her books. “....Only for you.”

When they made it back into the hallway, Ciel turned around and her eyes widened.

There had been no sound.

No clinking, no clanging……

But somehow, Fear and her room were no longer visible.

Instead, all Ciel saw was that heavy, metal door…….

—————————————————————-

It had seemed to take forever to get to Bedlam and through its tunnels, but leaving the asylum was much quicker.

Vincent drifted in and out of consciousness on the carriage ride home as Ciel and Cloudia watched him tensely.

Sebastian did what he could to offer support to all three.

Upon their arrival back at Phantomhive manor, the rest of the servants all stood in shock as they met the previous Earl Phantomhive, who was helped by Sebastian, Ciel, and Cloudia to his room.

To everyone’s surprise, seeing his old master spurred Tanaka out of retirement.

Instead of drinking tea and having a laugh, Tanaka seemed to regress back to the days of his youth and he pushed Sebastian aside eagerly, dutifully bathing and dressing Vincent just as he had all those years ago.

It was touching to everyone but Ciel and Cloudia.

Ciel desperately wanted to chat with her father, to hold his hand again.

Cloudia just wanted a moment with her son.

…….But both Phantomhive women had to wait.

Vincent was still quite groggy and Tanaka put him to bed after serving him some tea and soup.

While Cloudia and Ciel shuffled around the hallway outside Vincent’s door, Sebastian went and phoned Undertaker.

“So…...he’s…...he’s really there?” Undertaker asked on the other end of the phone.

“Yes, he’s really here.” Sebastian said, smiling in spite of himself.

“Good.” Undertaker said. “I’ve found a place where it’s safe. Bring them all and me at this address, 126 Abercorn-“

“-Just a moment.” Sebastian interrupted. “Let me find a pen.”

Sebastian reached away from the phone and hurriedly grabbed an opened envelope and a pen as he scribbled down the address Undertaker rattled off.

“Shall I tell my master to pack the house?” Sebastian asked. 

“Leave the house.” Undertaker instructed. “She’ll be back. This is just a holiday. Come as soon as you can.”

Undertaker hung up and Sebastian frowned.

A holiday?

—————————————————————

Vincent slept frequently, but after a week of recovery under Tanaka’s watchful care, the previous Earl Phantomhive was all but back to his former self.

Cloudia constantly sat beside Vincent, holding his hand as if he were still a child and murmuring sweet musings to him, hoping to bring him some comfort.

Ciel was almost constantly sitting on the other side of the rightful Earl, exchanging conversations with her father and grandmother.

Once Vincent could sit up in bed, Ciel told her father all about her accomplishments and her life since she thought his had ended.

Ciel told Vincent how she had managed the Funtom company.

Ciel also told Vincent about her marriage…...

The bluenette then eagerly introduced Vincent to both Sebastian and baby Cedric.

Ciel was worried that her father would disapprove of her union since Sebastian was a butler and not another earl or a duke…..

….,,...But Vincent Phantomhive was too elated about being home to worry about details like that.

“Well done, Ciel.” Vincent Phantomhive said with a stately laugh while the baby played on his lap and looked up at his grandfather with bright sapphire eyes. “I’m very proud of you. I’m sure your mother will be as well.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and Ciel drew in a breath. “.........Will be?”

—————————————————————

Back at Bedlam, Fear was enjoying her favorite pastime, sitting on her sofa and reading one of her books.

Yes, Fear was minding her own business when she heard keys jingling and the next thing she knew, her steel door was pushed wide open.

Fear looked up from her book to see three men standing in the doorway that she didn’t recognize.

If Cloudia or Ciel or Sebastian or Cedric had been there, they could have told Fear that her visitors’ names were William T. Spears, Grell Sutcliff, and Ronald Knox.

“May I help you gentlemen?” Fear asked calmly.

Fear wasn’t alarmed by the spear, the chainsaw, or the lawn mower the three men were armed with.

In fact, though she didn’t know their names, since they clearly didn’t work at the asylum, Fear assumed these were the men whom she had been waiting on…….

“Where is he?” William spat. “Where is Vincent Phantomhive?”

Fear smiled.

Ah yes, these were the men she had been waiting on……..

“Excuse me?” Fear blinked.

“We know you’re hiding a fugitive here!” Grell squealed. “Now give us Vincent Phantomhive or I’ll saw that plain head of yours clean off!”

“Who?” Fear asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

In a single second, it was done.

It was over.

Cloudia and her family would never have to worry about the reapers again.

“Ah….erm……..you know!..... What’s his name again?” Grell asked, trying very hard to remember whom they were seeking and why.

But it was no use…….

It was as if the thought itself had vanished from Grell’s mind.

And not just Grell’s mind……..

“William, why did we come here?” Grell whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Ronald scratched his head in confusion while William adjusted his glasses and checked his book. “I’m not entirely certain. This woman, Abagail Shuler isn’t slated to die today.”

Everyone had a name.

Fear wasn’t named Fear at birth, after all.

“She’s the only one around.” Grell whispered.

“Yes, I can see that.” William snapped.

“If you have no business here, then, do you mind if I ask you to leave? I hate it very much when others watch me while I read my books.” Fear said politely.

“Sorry to trouble you, madam.” William said, embarrassed by the situation as he closed the heavy, steel door.

Fear heard the three men walking away and she smiled to herself while she turned back to her book.

Silly, silly Cloudy…….

Why hadn’t Cloudia sent those men to her first instead of Vincent?

Fear could have handled this years ago!

—————————————————————-

Once Vincent was strong enough to travel, everyone in the Phantomhive household except for Finny, Snake, Mey-Rin, and Baldroy all readied themselves and left for London’s docks.

Cloudia took her family on her ship, which was surprisingly clean although very elaborately decorated, and knowledgeably captained the entire voyage.

It was a journey that took several months.

Finally, though, on a chilly autumn evening, Cloudia’s ship pulled into the harbor of Savannah, Georgia.

Ciel was excited to see more of America.

The bluenette has only visited the country for brief trips before, but Ciel didn’t realize just how elated she would become by that particular journey………..

Vincent led the way, followed by Cloudia, and Sebastian and Ciel, who clutched little Cedric in her arms while they walked up the brick stairs to a stately bed and breakfast.

Vincent rang the doorbell and he was certain he had come to the right address when Undertaker answered, throwing his arms around his son.

Once Undertaker had greeted everyone and kissed Cloudia discreetly, the group moved into the house and Ciel’s eyes widened as she entered the parlor.

“MOTHER!” Ciel cried.

Rachel Phantomhive, older but still demure and beautiful, looked up from where she stood, arranging flowers, and her eyes widened as Ciel rushed over.

Rachel didn’t know who to hug first, her daughter, or her grandson that she learned of and met in the same instant.

Sebastian looked on as the Phantomhive family reunited with a gentle purr.

There would be many cozy evenings spent by the fire reminiscing and many chilly nights cuddled with Ciel in the snug bedrooms of the quaint but elegant inn, and Sebastian felt honored to be Ciel’s alpha and stand by her side through every one.

Sebastian had always wanted Ciel and his wish had come true, but Sebastian especially prided himself on giving his omega what she really wanted……..

A family.


End file.
